Lucky in love

Jeans are my Friends Again!

2012-02-07T14:43:00.004-07:00

This is my public but not facebook public way of celebrating. At least I didnt call each and every one of you asking for a scream like I did from Boo and Mom :)

So, as most of you have gone through postpartum and trying to lose the "baby weight" or whatever I know you will know how hard it is to go through. When I was a few months into it I kept telling myself that I'll lose it when I stop breastfeeding. That is what everyone tells me. But Chloe is one now and I still haven't stopped... but I still kind of told myself that because of that I'll stay a bit bigger.

I've been swimming and doing what I can, but I'm far from vigilant. But truth be told, I wanted to know where I was. I knew what the scales were saying and I knew how my clothes were fitting but it was time to put it to the test. So I went to the mall. I went to American Eagle because I knew what I wore there before I was married and even back in high school so it was a pretty good standard.

I went in hoping I could grab a pair of my dream size and sneak off to the dressing room but after 3 passes they didnt have the type I wanted! So I had to ask and then they started talking and asking questions. Pah. She asked what I'm wearing now and got that size. She yelled for someone to get me a room and walked away. I, somewhat guiltily and a little questioningly grabbed the size I really wanted. If she didnt suggest trying a smaller size then I said, I had my doubts.

So I got the biggest stall I could so Chloe could play in front of the mirror. I went straight to the big deal pants. I held them up. Turned them side to side, seriously asking myself if I wanted to do this. Finally, I decided to do it. That is why I went to the mall. To figure out what size I was. So, here it goes.

One leg.
Well, that's too bad.
Two legs.
But will they go up?
Not one problem.
WHAT?! They came up, buttoned and zipped with no problems. NOT a SINGLE ONE!

Now, a little history here.
In high school I was a fit little gal. I swam twice a day had good food at home, not very much stress either and I did not fit in the pants I put on today.
In college, while Jameson and I were engaged, I swam twice a week, ran 7 miles the days I wasn't swimming and I could not fit in the pants I put on today.

I dont know what I'm doing right or what I'm doing different but I am not complaining. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that every pair of jeans I own are big jeans. I kinda want to go back and buy those jeans... They make me feel good.

1 Year Sneakpeak

2012-02-01T21:02:00.003-07:00

Hey y'all!
Chloe got her 1 year old pictures taken the last 2 days (due to Babies'R'Us having a discount on pictures, WOOT WOOT!) Pictures are ridiculously expensive and not all of you need pictures of Chloe on your wall, but you all need a Chloe fix, let's face it.
Here is where you go: MyOnlinePortraits.com
This is the session number: 105311
This is the password: GH3FT

We got a deal where you get one pose, so we chose the close up of her smiling in the blue outfit (the one in the middle of the close ups) because the package comes with a few wallets and the close up would be better for those.
But the whole point was I wanted a picture like Elle got in her blessing dress. So we ordered an extra of her in her blessing dress. I believe it is the last one where she has her shoulders shrugged up while she is laughing with her hands held together.

Enjoy the viewing!

Couplehood of the Traveling Pants Part 2

2012-01-28T12:05:00.004-07:00

The last few days it has been my turn to stay at home while Jameson goes and explores the world. Well, as much as you can explore Lincoln, Nebraska.

The first day I tried to pretend he was just at work. But of course I acted like a highschooler going through their first breakup. I walked down the hall and looked into the bedroom and didnt see him there, teared right up. I shut the door as I left the apartment and noticed Jameson wasn't in the game chair (previously known as the nursing chair but it's been pretty much re-christened) and teared up like a baby. Kinda pathetic. But Chloe was awesome the whole time. Super cheerful despite getting shots.

Funny story about the shots. Here is the Reader's Digest version. Went in for 12 month appointment to get the shots (just under 17 lbs, under 10% for everything) and the Doc said something about 6 shots and to come back in for the rest. I said we were getting kicked off Medicaid, so he said to come back the next week. Which was the day Jameson left and the nurse came in with the clipboard saying she had no idea why I was there. So, she said she was okay to get the 15 month shots and since I was already there... we went ahead and did it. So she's ahead of the game right now.

That night I was pretty distracted. We had a Relief Society activity that was supposed to have 3 speakers and started at 7. We started.... at 7:45. They did have a babysitter for us so Chloe was off playing while we ate dinner. I wont give you a play by play, but needless to say we had 7 speakers all with lots to say and we didnt get out of there until 9:45-10ish. Why didn't we leave? There was the most amazing chocolate cake made by someone that when said everyone in the room swiveled to look at them. So, we stayed. Was it worth it? Oh yes. Did all the Mommys and the Mommy table roll their eyes at how long it took. Yes.

So, day 2 was looking to be the worst. It was Jameson's interview day. He called first thing and sounded SO cheerful. It was a huge relief and we hung up with me feeling awesome! I was so grateful to hear his voice and to hear it sounding confident. My high school friend Chelsea came over with her darling baby Ari for a play date at 12:30. Her daughter's nap is at 2 so I was trying to figure out what to do to keep busy after. But, thank heaven and thank Chelsea, she stayed until 5:30! Chloe and Ari were darling together and it wore Chloe out! She crashed at 7:30! And it was so awesome talking to Chelsea. It was just like high school. Being back in her room listening to the mix cd she made me (still have it and listen to it by the way).

With Chloe in bed so early, I followed suit. My friend gave me an entire book series to help keep me occupied while Jameson was away, so I finished the Percy Jackson book I was reading and started in on the books she gave me. This morning I woke up refreshed and happy! My baby is coming home!

And what have I decided from this 3 week craziness of us both taking personal flights?

It is worse to be the one at home.

One year

2012-01-19T20:14:00.002-07:00

First off, everyone should click here and listen to the song. The video is coincidental, I just love this song and it seems appropriate. That song's by Ben Folds and is about his daughter.

So Chloe is one year old today! It's so hard to believe that it's been a full year since she came into this world. It seems like just yesterday that she wasn't here, but at the same time it seems like she's been with us forever. Somewhere between being in the hospital and now, she's grown into a full-blown tornado with a love of pulling things off of where they're supposed to be.

Here's what our lovely daughter does:
-She loves books. Loves them. Most books do not survive her love for long, but hopefully she'll grow out of that phase and into the "I love reading" phase.
-Anything with music catches her attention. She loves how it sounds.
-Talking on the phone. Well, not so much talking, but she smiles huge when somebody talks to her on the phone. I need to be prepared to spend a lot on phone bills with this one.
-She has graduated from the holding hand whilst walking stage and into the "you slow me down, let go of me and let me run" stage. It's terrifying and awesome.
-She still loves to climb. We need to get rid of this entertainment center.
-She doesn't care for baby food anymore. She eats our food or she eats nothing.
-She gives me kisses. Wide open mouthed and tongue out kisses.
-She has started to babble a lot more. She's always been more of a mover than a talker, but she's getting the hang of it. This morning when she wanted Becky to pick her up, Becky looked down and said "up?" like she normally does. Chloe looks with arms outstretched and says "up!"

It gets crazy and hectic with her. Everyone who has a kid knows this. But times like tonight when I sing and rock her for a couple minutes before putting her down to sleep, I can reflect and remember how precious she is and how blessed we are for this opportunity to have her enrich my life and teach me that yes, I truly am a jerk with no patience, but if I just follow her lead I'll turn out alright in the end.

Life certainly wouldn't be the same without her. I'm glad I don't have to know how I'd be on the other side of the hypothetical.

Cabin fever

2012-01-17T20:00:00.002-07:00

Well Becky has gone and come (see what I did there?) and I'll let ya'll in on a little secret:

listening?

It was weird.

People always say the weirdest or saddest part of being alone is sleeping alone at night, and I can totally respect their right to think erroneously. The worst part is the days. I mean, at night what do I do? Get in bed and fall unconscious for several hours until the morning (hopefully) when I actually, you know, am aware of the world around me. Those are the worst times.

The kicker is I got the flu.

The week she left, the flu was going around our tiny little community of three. Chloe started on Tuesday by throwing up, and Becky caught onto the secret Wednesday with the same party. I was afraid I'd catch it, but when Thursday, the day she left, came around and I was still fine I figured I dodged a bullet. I got the flu shot after all. My immune system works like a champion egyptian mud wrestler. I'm good right? Nevermind the fact that Chloe also got the flu shot. I was set. She leaves Thursday while I'm at work, I come home and play some video games, fall asleep. Everything is great.

I woke up Friday with the plan to head out to work on my day off because they were doing some quality checks on their lab equipment and were doing a thousand dollars of tests free for every employee. You go in fasting, you get the stuff. So I went in fasting. Get my blood drawn, have some food upstairs where I work (strawberry yogurt and orange juice with a doughnut for the win) and head home. Then promptly feel ill. I didn't throw up, but my organs were hating me. I laid in bed for two hours, finally got out and tried to not die. I tried to watch a few different movies, and the only one that held my attention was the new Tron (funnily enough, the time I'm sick is the time I finally watch it without falling asleep). I had no appetite, but was parched. I drank and drank so much water. I tried some pedialite from when Chloe was sick...that is not meant for adult consumption. It tastes like otter pops melted and stirred with sugar. Blech.

Anyway, By evening I was feeling...better? I missed my cousin's baby blessing the next day because I didn't want anyone sick. But I was able to deposit a check and play some games with my brother and my best friend. So it wasn't...too...terrible.

Back to the point? I was seriously starving for interaction those days. I missed her something fierce and even though I'm quiet and enjoy space a lot, when I'm without her I go crazy. So I know this is a roundabout way to say all this, but I love my wife.

I love her.

The simple truth

2012-01-09T17:39:00.003-07:00

I dont know how many of you can relate, but every several months or so I get the indisputable desire to cry. I become a ticking time bomb, waiting for the one thing to set me off. I've kind of figured it would be Thursday when I say goodbye to Jameson for the weekend. You see, since we've been married we've never had a day away so it is kind of a big deal.

So today. I start the day off trying to find a receipt to exchange Jameson's watch but in my search something got off balance and when I was sitting on the couch I saw a bucket fall from the cupboard and saw the first Halloween ornament (first holiday ornament) Jameson and I ever bought together in pieces. I didnt lost it.

I had an eye appointment to get some contacts so I dropped Chloe off at my friend's and took off with enough time to get there to do paperwork before my appointment. 10 minutes into the drive I'm suddenly being forced on the freeway going the WRONG direction. I call the office and I am in the wrong city getting no where near their office. They give me directions and I end up there eventually. 20 minutes late. (p.s. Chloe's nap was supposed to be at 11 and my appointment was at 10:20 so I'm cutting it close). I give them our new insurance info and sit down to work on the paperwork. They tell me I'm not covered. Not....covered...

I call Jameson and ask him to talk to HR. And my amazing WONDERFUL AWESOME SPECTACULAR husband runs down to HR during his shift to talk to them. They said they'd call the paperpushers but that they shouldn't count on them changing it. Jameson told me to go ahead and get my stuff done despite the costs (Awesome. I know. Jameson rocks) By the end of my appointment Jameson calls and says that they worked out the insurance!

I broke a sentimental ornament, I was 20 minutes late to an appointment, I wasn't going to be covered by insurance and was actually laughing about it with the eye techs! Why wasn't I crying!? So here is the simple truth. I believe I didnt lose it today for one simple reason. My ward's challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 120 days. And Day 1 was today.

Jameson and I have been doing our studies at night, but I knew with how much I was supposed to be reading that I wouldn't really have the time at night. So this morning I started the ward's challenge. I'm not much of a morning reader, puts me to sleep. And as I re-read chapters that I've started tons of times, I tried hard to ponder and see them differently so I would feel like I am growing from the experience. And maybe I didnt get anything out of the words on the page, but I definitely was able to keep my sanity during a day that would normally leave me on the floor with Chloe running rampant around me.

I am so grateful for my ward's challenge to read the Book of Mormon and that I felt inspired to take their challenge. It is an amazing book designed to bring us closer to God and I am so blessed to have a testimony that the words written in it are true accounts and that it is Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Why our holidays were so full of cheer

2012-01-05T22:45:00.003-07:00

These pictures are a little out of order because of how they upload, but you'll get the picture. Literally (hahahahbwaha...ah...)
Ahem. This first picture is Christmas morning, opening more presents! She is loving that piano :)

Seeing the lights at temple square! Freezing but lots of fun

Jameson indulging me in taking a picture I want with ME in it! WOOHOO

Our traditional Christmas picture. Merry Christmas Love the Rancks!

How we celebrated New Years Eve. Chloe was watching Tangled on Grandma Ranck's Ipad and Jameson was sleeping. In his defense, he did have work the next morning and he really needed some. We played some fun games and left to put the Papa Bear to sleep.

I was doing laundry and Chloe kept pulling up on the dryer door.... So, I helped her in. She did NOT want to get out!

I have very vivid memories of my brothers picking me up by the straps on my overalls, but I dont think I liked it this much :)

So happy to see Grandma and Grandpa Ranck after their long airplane trip to see us!

Beautiful Christmas dress and she KNOWS it

We forgot to bring her a bed time story... So Jameson was reading a random book that I think was about something collegiate.

Holidays in Holladay

2012-01-02T04:46:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The holidays here were fantastic! We stayed part of the time up in Holladay so when Jameson worked everything was normal and when he had nights off we stayed in a condo owned by our friends in Provo so we could be close to family. We ended up being the hub down there and loved having everyone together.

Jameson's parents were in town for 2 weeks soaking up as much grandbaby and children as they could get! They kept cooing over Chloe and I loved when the first day they got here they stopped by for a half hour and after Jeff shut the door I heard him say "She is just the cutest granddaughter ever!" Definitely put a smile on my face.

Brenton, Becca, Becca's roommate, Jeff and Michelle all spent Christmas Eve at our place so we could get up and do the annual big breakfast and stocking hunt. They let me make the coffee cake and hashbrowns (one because I LOVE my hashbrowns (courtesy of Uncle Richard) two they usually make the box coffee cake and I had to try and convert them to the Parnell recipe). We did stockings and left for church with Adam and Jessica.

It was the most unique Christmas service I've ever heard, but it was a wonderful way to celebrate our Savior and I wish every year it was on a Sunday. It really helped to center the fact of it all and bring it back to Jesus. We went home and the girls and I dressed back down to PJs, cause really, who opens Christmas presents in day clothes? Pth. Jameson got me wonderful presents :) The most memorable is my used swim suit in a box ;) It is to represent the swim suit he is taking me to buy because mine are shot. He bought me earrings I can wear with Chloe always trying to pull mine out, the Percy Jackson series, a few movies, nail polish, a few other books, a Sugarland cd and a few other things. He is a wonderful gift giver :) Especially because he rarely buys things I write on my list and really listens to my every day banter to decipher what I'd like best. My parents gave us cards and 5 CROWNS! We've been without for way too long! Jameson's parents got us iTouches that we are loving (Chloe included) and a box with a sweet sweet note written by his Dad (I've already read it a few times).

We celebrated New Years Eve evening at Jameson's Aunt's home with games and pizza. We left to put Chloe and Jameson down at a decent hour (he had work). We still stayed up talking a little and toasted with our wedding goblets :)

It was a beautiful holiday reminding me how much I love family and how blessed we are to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where we know we can be with them always. I am so grateful for the gospel and the opportunity it gives us to persevere and try to be like Christ. What a wonderful holiday full of universal sweetness and love. I hope all of you had moments of clarity this holiday whether it was a sweet face your child made or a feeling of completeness being surrounded by family.

We look forward to next year when Chloe has more of an idea of what is going on instead of just pulling all the ornaments off the tree. She is loving her new See and Speak well as the baby piano we gave her. She is running all over the place and we'll post pictures as soon as it isnt dark and I dont risk waking up Jameson but looking for it.

We love you all and wish you luck in keeping the Spirit of Christ(mas) all year and your personal New Years Resolutions, whether they be made today, a few weeks from now or are a continuation of previous goals.

Vignettes

2011-12-28T20:32:00.003-07:00

So it's been forever since we've written anything. The past week or so, I'll get on my dashboard once a day, see how long it's been, try to think of something to write for about a minute, decide there's too much to cover, maybe write something for one of my other blogs, and then sign off. That's kind of how it's been. So today, instead of trying to recap everything, I'll be presenting thoughts in tiny dashed form and hope they add together to make something worthwhile. Ready? Okay!

-Christmas is awesome. First and foremost. It's been super great to see my parents; we've loved having them in the country again.

-I got an interview at UNL! It's for a PhD program. I leave for Nebraska and stay with my brother-in-law for two days in January. I'm super incredibly nervous.

-I've decided to be a reader again. Unfortunately I have far too many books to read; I am currently in the middle of three. I'm taking another go-through of the Five Love Languages and am about halfway through, I'm reading the First King of Shannara and am about forty pages in, and I started Game of Thrones, my new Christmas present. Busy busy.

-I now play Words With Friends. With two friends. My proudest word so far is shank just because it's awesome. I've been schooled with deprive, veiling, and vowels.

-I got Gears of War 3 for Christmas. What better way to bond with my brother and father than by chainsawing radioactive aliens that burst from the ground?

-Everyone should go out and buy Soul Punk by Patrick Stump. That CD is fantastic.

-I'm currently at a strange lull where I've actually finished all of the video games that I started. The decision now is whether to take another go at one of the games I've beaten or start a new one.

-Movies we got for Christmas: Six. TV seasons: One. Books: Eleven.

Anyway, that's about it. I'll actually write a real blog soon, but we're going to watch a movie and play a game now. Off we go!

Worst Christmas Songs

2011-12-15T21:12:00.002-07:00

So I have posted not one, not two, but three Christmas playlists in the past years. So instead of repeating myself yet again, I've decided to go the opposite route: songs that nobody wants to hear.

We all know these songs. They must be beloved by SOMEone, I mean why else would they be played? Again...and again...and again? All I know is that they are not enjoyed by me.

5. Santa Baby - Marilyn Monroe
This song is not inherently bad, but when you combine it with, er, her, you get disastrous results. Results like this. I'm really not sure what Ms. Monroe was truly good for, but her singing has about the same effect as Paris Hilton's album, which also sounds similar to nails on a chalkboard.

4. Celine Dion - So This Is Christmas
Now, the original of this song was groundbreaking. John Lennon, while one of my least favorite Beatles, was brilliant. I love some covers of this song. This cover, however, is painful.

3. Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
I will be the first to admit that I find this song entertaining. However, that in no way means it's a good showcase of musical genius.

2. Feliz Navidad
I'm really not certain what to say about this song. I mean, does anyone like it? It gets stuck in your head for days. DAYS.

1. Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
Paul McCartney is one of the best musicians in the past 100 years. I don't think I have ever disliked one of his songs...except this one. I think Paul's thought process went something like this: "hey guys I got a synthesizer! Check out the sounds that I can make!" One of my favorite artists has released one of my least favorite songs ever. Paul, what have you done? What have you done?

Now to be honest, I feel that I have forgotten my original list and that numbers three and four are filler. It's possible. But seriously...these songs are like having to listen to Nickelback cover Ke$ha.

Anything I missed?

Technology = mental instability

2011-12-12T13:26:00.003-07:00

Remember back in the old days?

Did you like how I, as a 24 year old male, just started a blog referring to "the old days?" Especially since many people that read this are, in fact, quite a bit older than 24.

Nevertheless, I did have "old days." See, I was blessed to be born at the exact perfect time to have had a short childhood before technology like real computers existed and yet have my adolescence filled with such advances that now people can talk to TV screens (made of what the "new" flashlights were made of several years ago)to make them do what they want.

I'm actually incredibly happy about when I was born.

But yes. I remember the old days. I would walk or ride my bike to my friends' houses to see if they could play, and sometimes they could and we would go put soda cans in our bike spokes to make them sound like dirt bikes and ride up and down hills, or head down to the ravine and pretend like we were whatever fantastical creature we thought was cool at the time (mostly it was dragons) and that was that. We told our parents where we would go, we'd leave forever with no cell phone and our parents generally trusted that we wouldn't be eaten by a rabid alligator that had hiked its way up to Utah.

Sometimes on these expeditions to our friends' homes, they couldn't even play. They would be busy, or taking a nap, or what have you. What do you do then? Ride your bike back home. And that was that.

I remember the time the first computer came into our home, and we played a game where we led a frog through a maze. I remember when I set up my first email account. I remember when my dad bought the first DVD player and I thought he was crazy because what was wrong with VHS's? We don't have Star Wars on DVD! And my parents thought that the Super Nintendo for Christmas was a great idea because games would surely be a passing fad and not something that would carry on through our supposedly adult years.

Surely.

Now everything has changed. I've been in the market for a new computer (and have settled on a laptop for two reasons: one I need to go back to school and a laptop is good for those sorts of things and two we have no place to put it as kitchen tables are generally meant for eating on unless you live at our place in which it becomes a shelf). On this website that does a deal a day there was a media laptop: 17.3 inch screen, dual processing whatever, I didn't pay too much attention to the specs because we decided we'd wait until Christmas is a couple months behind us to look. Well I was reading the comments: "This is great! I bought one of these for my five year-old son because it's cheaper than an iPad!" My coworker is buying either an iPhone 4s or an iPad for her ten year-old son. They're everywhere!

My phone is a free phone, just for reference.

I do much of my communication through texting now. Remember when you had to call if you wanted to talk to someone? Not anymore! You can click a few buttons and it's a mini email to one person they can read and reply to at their convenience! I do it all the time. Texting my brother and sisters, Becky when I'm at work, my Seattle friend Michael, The people that I went to school with who are now scattered across the United States, my in-laws including siblings, my coworkers. All the time. My entire means of communication with these people is contained within a black and slate blue brick that folds into a nice small shape that fits in my pocket.

I realized: I basically just talk to my phone all the time. It talks back to me. Taken at a literal level, I have no relationship with these people. I haven't seen some of these people in years.

Maybe technology has made everyone crazy. We all just have dissociative disorder.

Positive Energy

2011-12-11T16:42:00.003-07:00

Becky needs to write more uplifting blogs.

So. Here I go!

This season is awesome. I know people say that if it were all year long we would get sick of it. But I think this is sort of like how the millennium will be. More people will be charitable, kind, selfless ALL the time! With a general spirit of love. I could definitely go for that year round. It really isn't a bad thought when they say to keep Christmas in your heart all year long. But you know it doesn't have to be the "Spirit of Christmas", just the "Spirit of Christ".

Jameson and I were talking ourselves to sleep one night this week and we both admitted we'd been trying much harder to keep Christ in our daily lives. To make an effort to think about him and not just in a passing thought kind of way. I know it's been on my mind a lot especially since we found out about Chloe coming to our family. I knew I had to up my spirituality and learn more because I was going to be expected to teach her. So this first holiday season it has become even more apparent to me how important it is to remember what Christmas is all about. That is why every time Jameson sees a Nativity he likes I want to buy it. His mother collected them so they had them all over the house. I want to carry on this tradition. Maybe every year we're married we'll add a new one to the collection :)

Another reason I know that I've been trying to think of Christ more is because I've been overwhelmed lately with how blessed I am/we are. Fast Sunday we fasted for Jameson's applications to Graduate School. We've been waiting on one person's letters of recommendation and it was causing a lot of stress on Jameson and between us as a couple. You see... I wanted to drive down there and give her a piece of my mind and Jameson didnt think that would be a good idea. You can see why stress would build. So, the day after the fast Jameson got a phone call from the woman we'd been waiting for saying she was trying to get them done and needed his help :) What a relief to get such an immediate answer to a prayer!

We've been so blessed this year, and I guess I'll wait to list off some of the endless blessings for the new years/end year blog. But I am constantly so amazed at how blessed I've been to find such an amazing husband willing to sacrifice long hours for work and school as well as accept a heavy church calling and spend time being a father and a husband. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have him. And to have such a cheerful daughter crawling, climbing, walking, babbling, raspberrying, around the house.

This is more than happiness... this is joy.

Wasted Energy

2011-12-06T17:59:00.004-07:00

Yes, it is already time for another one of Becky's public yet private rants.

The big thing on facebook among LDS people my age is the new rule at BYU-Idaho: No Skinny Jeans in the testing center.

Now, I would like to start this is a bit of a backgrounder for those of you who may not know some of this stuff. First, I went to BYUI, Ricks, Highschool on the hill. I was not there when there was no Taco Bell, shout out to my sister Bonnie. But I was there before the fancy auditorium, the new buildings that keep you inside during the snow and I was there when you could easily recognize everyone on campus. I had rules then too. No flip flops, shorts, that sort of stuff.

Onto my main point. Complaining about this is ridiculous. It was a decision made at a school you are privileged to be attending. When you applied there you knew that they had higher standards so you should've known what you were getting into. Secondly, you signed a code. You said "Yeah, I can do that and I will". Therefore, do it. Stop whining about it. If you really REALLY dont want to do it, buck up, save the money and go somewhere REALLY expensive!

I just dont get what the big deal is. They want to have a high standard where everyone is comfortable with those they are around and where they would feel comfortable with answering to the head of their school and the head of their church when they say "yes we hold them to a standard you would be proud of". I dont see why that is such an awful thing.

Did I wish I could wear flip flops? Sure. But I didnt make a stink about it.

Moral of this rant is, use your obviously pent up energy searching for a cause and go find something worth making a fuss about.

Note from the Editor:
I was going to let this one go, but I saw someone comment on a link to the original article about the new rule that basically said that they think heavy people look gross in skinny jeans and I thought that was really rude.

Christmastime is here

2011-12-03T10:19:00.002-07:00

Growing up, we always had the entire house decorated for Christmas. My mom had one of those Christmas village things, where there are people skating and buildings made of ceramic or something like that. My mom was a crafty person. We had all sorts of painted and handmade decorations. The ornaments on our tree spanned from decidedly unique (Santa golfing) to homemade (the train I painted in first grade) to standard (polar bears drinking coca cola). I remember the day my parents switched to a fake Christmas tree; it was like blasphemy. I felt betrayed. Then it became the norm and I stopped being a wuss.

Why is this relevant? Well, as a newly married couple we at the moment have decorations that wouldn't even take two hands to count. We have an advent calendar, four snow globes (Becky collects those and has more somewhere I suppose), a Christmas bear, and two nativity sets. Now, I'm not saying that I think we deserve more, because, as I said, we have been married less than three years. We'll slowly build up our reserve.

What I am kind of saying is, however, that there's something about surrounding yourself with reminders of the season that completes it. Our decorations are all up, and unless you look to notice them they may not even be noticed. Obviously once we get our Christmas tree things will be more festive, but for the moment it feels kind of like it did a few weeks ago.

We've all had those years (at least I've most definitely had those years) where it just doesn't feel like the holidays. Now, that shouldn't truly be a big problem, but those years I kind of feel cheated. There's something about the feeling that I get at Christmas that makes it special. I look forward to it. Call it the light of Christ, call it excitement for giving those I care about something I know will bring them joy, call it whatever you will. It just feels good.

What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well, I'll tell you. We're getting our Christmas tree today and we're setting it up. We're going to listen to Christmas music, we may go shopping to pick up a few last minute things. In short, I'm going to be happy. I'm going to spend time with my family, which is the most important thing I have. And I urge you to do the best you can to do the same. Life is hard, but it is also so good in so many ways.

Holy Twilight Batman!

2011-11-27T07:48:00.003-07:00

I am still stunned at all the crazy controversy that Twilight has accumulated.

From being written poorly, to teaching young girls bad morals, to saying Eddy is a stalker, to saying blah blah blah blah blah.

Truth is, it is a FANTASY NOVEL. It isn't true. *GASP* She didnt write this book to say he was gallant because sleeping with her would kill her, so he didnt. She didnt write this book to win an award for the best writing ever. She wrote this book for F-U-N. It got published, sweet! Fans wanted more, go figure! She made a lot of money... a LOT of money.

You can read books for several reasons. You can read them for edification, spiritual or intellectual. You can read them for instruction, How To's. You can even read them for PLEASURE, aka FUN.

FUN. Meaning, you realize it is 1. NOT TRUE 2. MADE UP 3. COULD NEVER HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. Yup... I think that pretty much covers it. It is supposed to get you out of your own world, forgetting anything you are going through or just take you to a fun place where things could, here it comes again, NEVER REALLY HAPPEN.

It really just drives me nuts how much people harp on these books. You want to get upset about something? As cliche has it is, look up 3rd world countries and their health systems. Heck, look at OUR health system!

Bottom line, other movies have been good and awful before. Bottom line, other books have people that DO sleep together, Bottom line... it is a book.

Ten Months

2011-11-20T07:53:00.005-07:00

Chloe turned ten months old yesterday. Ten months! She has been alive longer than she was conceptualized (I mean that both ways...she was a surprise). Just a little check in with what she's doing at this point in time:

-She climbs. Everything. She'll hang from the piano and swing her legs, she'll climb the TV stand (we had to take out the middle shelves to prevent it being a ladder) and last week she climbed up the side of a chair only to have it topple on top of her on the tile. She must be part monkey.
-Bringing us to our next point, she's tough as nails. My goal is to raise a girl who can stand on her own, and she is following that plan beautifully. She cut open her mouth and we didn't know until the bloody smile.
-She babbles. A lot. She's always been more of a mover than a talker, but she's coming along. She used to say mama and dada, but now it's almost all just kind of da-da-da-da-da. Unless I'm holding her.
-She can stand up really well now. Just pushes herself up.
-She's taken a few shaky steps. She's not the biggest fan because it's hard and she'd rather crawl, but she can do it.
-She's starting to show some stranger anxiety, but nothing too big.
-Opening and closing doors and cupboards are one of her favorite things to do.

She also loves the instruments in our house. Becky starts playing piano and she'll come right over and pound on the keys from the floor. Sometimes she'll just play with it all on her own. She also loves the guitar and isn't quite sure what it is...I have teeth marks on the neck now unfortunately.

And there you have it! She's still a tiny one. As of last month she was in the 5th percentile of pretty much everything, and she goes in on Wednesday to get her final flu shot. Not sure how those are really related, but hey.

Anyway, here's the reason you really read this: pictures of the child!

Ranck Q&A

2011-11-13T20:14:00.003-07:00

Well, we all know that everyone who reads this blog knows either Becky or I in some fashion. Some are family, some have lived with one of us, and the rest wish they had. But there's always more that you can learn, right? Right. So someone recently approached us and asked for an exclusive, behind the scenes interview with us while we share our deepest, darkest secrets for the whole internet. We were lucky enough to gain a hold of this transcript and we are now posting it straight to your personal computer for your entertainment and enlightenment. Bolded statements are from the interviewer, in case you can't figure it out.

So first off, we need to know: are you really as awesome as you seem?
Jameson: Well, Becky is. I'm not.
Becky: Don't believe a word he says. Like attracts like.
Jameson: I mean everything I ever say. Ever.

Okay, now that the burning question is out of the way. So, what do you two do together?
Becky: I guess it depends on what you define as together. If you ask me, we go on walks or play games. If you ask Jameson, he plays games while I do something unrelated next to him.
Jameson: We're cuddling, so it's almost quality time together. Besides, she takes breaks to read the story and watch the cutscenes.

Your most ideal meal?
Jameson: Well this one honestly depends on my mood. The other day we went to Pizza Pie Cafe and I had several slices of Hillbilly pizza (imagine every kind of meat you can think of on a slice) and cookie dough pizza and that was pretty heavenly. On the other hand, Becky can make the most amazing chicken parmesan I've ever had. And even still the chinese chicken salad that her and my mother make is ambrosia.
Becky: I have to agree with Jameson; it depends on my mood. But what always sounds good is anything mexican and gooey.
Jameson: If she had her way when she was pregnant she would have eaten at either Cafe Rio or Chipotle every meal of every day.
Becky: Yeah, wouldn't you?

That does sound amazing. What about your ideal vacation?
Becky: My ideal vacation...only really needs three things: a beach, a book, and sun.
Jameson: It also only needs the absence of two things: her husband and daughter.
Becky: Hey!
Jameson: Eh. I would probably have to agree. I very much enjoy beaches. I'm not big into travel vacations, you know, go here and see that. I like relaxing ones. A book, some movies, my DS. It all works.

What's your most prized accomplishment?
Jameson: Well, I am a father...that pretty much takes the cake. On the other hand though, it didn't take much to become one other than to not kill my best friend. I have a B.S. degree...I painted a picture once in high school. It was pretty awesome. It was a ninja sloth with a pagoda in the background. My mom loved it.
Becky: Spiritually, of course, it would be that I'm a mother and a wife. Some people questioned whether that was something I could ever do (laughs). Materially speaking, I'm really proud of my varsity swimming status in high school, my budding ability to knit, and my first real portrait: a sketch of my nephew as a baby.

Seeing as how it is around that time of year: what's your favorite holiday?
Becky: Hands down, it has to be Christmas. It has the best food, the best spices, quilts, sweaters, baking, music, family. Can't really beat that. And of course it celebrates the most important person in our life, Jesus Christ.
Jameson: We're a big Christmas household. I've always been a huge fan. It just has that feeling you know? You really can't beat it. I always get it at least. Besides, it had wassail. Honestly, you can't top wassail. Especially Becky's.

Alright alright, we've taken enough time. Any last words?
Jameson: Just remember to floss and eat your vegetables. I rarely do either.
Becky: The only piece of wisdom I can think of to compete with Jameson's was given by a general authority, and that is to always to remember to tuck the shower curtain into the tub before you shower.

Well there you have it! A look into our incredible lives. I hope you enjoyed reading this portion of the interview, and who knows? Maybe someday we'll release the rest for public view.

Good News

2011-11-07T21:19:00.002-07:00

The world needs more good news. So, let me tell you a good news story.

The evening before daylight savings Jameson was sitting down to a game and we were just relaxing. And let me tell you what time it was, 8:20. I put my head down for a second and next thing I know, Jameson is putting me in bed.
"What are you doing?"
"We're going to bed"
"What time is it?"
"10:48"
"Oh... okay..."
Next thing I know, it is 7am. It was a super awesome night.
Thank you day light savings for adding an hour to my night!
Thank you Jameson for letting me sleep!
Thank you Chloe for not waking me up and sleeping in a little!
Ah.... sleep.
I hope you all get some soon :)

The Hap-Happiest Season

2011-11-06T09:59:00.004-07:00

It snowed Friday night.

I would like you all to just sit and think about that statement for a moment. In fact, I'll once again iterate:

It snowed Friday night.

Now, this isn't technically the First Snow Of The Season. That happened at work sometime this week. It didn't reach home, however, and melted before I left the hospital. So this is what I am holding to be the first.

I hate, hate, hate snow.

Everyone I know thinks it's magic and that it looks pretty. And...that's true to be honest. I actually enjoyed snow back in the day when it was a rare occasion in Seattle and I was too young to really understand what it meant to have to drive in it. Then I moved to Utah for school and it snowed and I thought it was awesome because I got to see people slip and fall on the ice and I stayed inside writing papers and only went out to play in it.

Then I went on my mission to the North Pole. Or Cleveland. It was hard to tell sometimes. I remember my first winter there: awful. It didn't start snowing until January or so in my area of downtown Cleveland, but once it did it hit hard. How hard you ask? I remember cheering when the temperature reached positive degrees. I remember my friend serving in Sweden writing telling me that it was negative something Celsius and me freaking out about how cold it was and then realizing that negative 30 Fahrenheit was actually colder, and that was the temperature I was walking in. Yes, I said negative 30. Cleveland is lovingly referred to as the "mistake on the lake" due to the high speed winds lake effect.

It was cold.

I actually got frostbite on my mission. My nose and the part of my cheeks under my eyes actually froze to a mild degree. To this day, when I transition from cold to hot my cheeks turn a nice brilliant red. It's fun.

Last year was a first for me when I had to drive to work in our convertible. In the snow. I actually had to call off work once or twice because I just couldn't make it there. That year began an even greater dislike for the icy white, and I am a complete scrooge when it comes to being out in snow at all. I hate being cold, I hate being wet, and the white stuff has the tendency to grant me both blessings at once with the inevitable avalanche off of tree branches that somehow always happens right when I walk beneath them.

Today, the snow is melting. Mostly. But I have an even bigger problem: I'm sitting here on my couch and cold wind is blowing in through my giant closed window behind me.

We're going out to buy some plastic wrap soon to seal this baby closed. I refuse to be in the great white north in my own living room while I watch TV.

Oddly enough, throughout two years in Ohio and coming on to my third year here in Utah, I haven't had a white Christmas since I was a little kid and don't remember.

I'm coming out

2011-11-02T05:47:00.004-06:00

Some of you know, some of you dont. But it is time to shout it out and let the chips fall where they may.
I have been going to a group now for about a month. It has been incredible and exactly what the doctor ordered. My group is...

KNITTING!

Duh duh duhhhhhhhh

I was waiting until I was finished with my first project to make sure this stuck and that I really loved it. But yesterday as I was waiting to go I had finished my scarf, Chloe was asleep and I didnt know what to do. I missed working on something. I am so grateful to have found this. For those of you who dont know how this started, when I found out that I was pregnant with Chloe I wanted to learn some crafty thing. I guess I felt like to be a mom I had to do something mom-ish and knitting was it I guess. We bought me "I Taught Myself to Knit" and I started out pretty strong. I had a real desire to do it. Then I started pulling it out only for General Conference. I wasn't getting anywhere.

A few weeks ago I went on a really awesome Relief Society activity where a woman pulled out a knitting project and worked on it the whole ride. I told her that I had tried and it didnt stick and that I would like some help. She JUMPED on that opportunity. She had me over, GAVE me yarn she wasn't using, let me borrow her needles and gave me a pattern. Last night I finished it! Scarf number 1! I started on the matching hat last night.

I am really loving this not only cause I'm learning a new craft but because I am getting a night out with amazing women all in different walks of life in different stages of projects and enjoying conversations I never would have thought I'd have. I'm so grateful for my new ward and how open they are and willing to teach and befriend me.

The true master of enlightenment

2011-10-26T19:00:00.006-06:00

I came home from work one day, as I am wont to do on occasion, and began talking to Becky, as also happens every so often. This time however, things seemed a little different, almost like our roles were reversed. I was talking a million miles an hour and Becky was just working on dinner with a bemused expression saying "uh huh" and "oh really?" when the situation required.

It was like the twilight zone.

I had watched the first episode of The Walking Dead the night before, and all day at work I had been thinking about the "scary monsters" genre. You know, like vampires and werewolves and zombies et al. Thus, that was the topic of our conversation that evening. Here are a few gems, showcasing my nonfunctional frontal lobe capacity that evening:

Jameson: "I think the perfect counter for vampires would be robots."
Becky: "Yeah because they can't be bitten."
Jameson: "...Oh yeah I guess that works too."
Becky: "What were you thinking of!?"
Jameson: "They can't be seduced!"

Five minutes later...

Jameson: "I think the least frightening creature is Frankenstein."
Becky: "That's because Frankenstein was a scientist."
Jameson: "Frankenstein's MON-STER. First off because he wasn't actually bad, second..."
Becky: "That's right. He was just looking for love."
Jameson: "Just like Rigoletto."

That's right. We have enlightening conversations in our home.

Caliente!

2011-10-26T10:08:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I decided that I wanted soup. Forget that it was taco Tuesday. I want soup! I actually forgot that it was Tuesday and I thought it was Quesadillas for dinner, so I was going with the excuse that it was to be a side for dinner. I wasn't just craving any green tortilla soup, I was craving my friend Shandra's. I called her up but she was at work. So, I set forth to find the perfect green tortilla soup recipe.

After many food network and pintrest searches, I settled on mixing two recipes together. One my friend had just made and loved and another well rated recipe. I set out and bought the ingredients (took all of $9.00. I can approve of $9 recipes). Jameson had called me and told me what a long day he had had so now my mission had doubled! He needed comfort food and I had to deliver! I knew his favorite soup was the Yucatan Chicken Soup from Zupas so I tried to find that recipe but... they're kind of like Fort Knox.

I started sauteing the onions, carrots and garlic when I got to jalapenos. When I was in the store I went with 4. It said 5-6 but I didnt think that would be necessary. I cut up one. Threw it in the pot. Luckily Chloe needed me at this point so I walked away for a few minutes. When I came back I looked at the bag and thought, do I really want another jalapeno? The recipe calls for at least 3 more... my friend loved this recipe, her 5 year old son ate it... I guess I'll put in one more.

2 jalapenos.
Let me repeat that for those of you who need t re-read things.
2.... jalapenos.

I kept on cooking! Added the rest of the ingredients (sans chicken). I finally decided, "hey! I should try this delicious smelling goodness!" Dip in spoon, pull out broth,

BAM! Not a slap, not a pinch, not a nudge, BAM!

SO spicy! I call Bard, no answer. I call Boo, she just laughs at me and tells me to google how to de-spicify the soup. Everything I looked at said milk or cream but even then that advice was disputed. The most rational thing I read was to strain the soup so all the broth is gone and start it again. But I wasn't about to throw out all the broth!

Cheese it is.

I added cheese. A good inch of velveeta cheesy-goodness. Jameson doesn't like sour cream either... and I knew that would help, so even though I knew I'd tell him anyway, I sometimes like to pretend I'm sneaky and I added that just before he got home when I put the chicken in. I told him I'd take him to McDonalds before my group, I told him to order pizza. ANYTHING to let him know that eating what I had prepared was not necessary. We sat down with our cheese, cilantro covered bowls and...

Hmmm...
mmmm....
yummmmm....

swallow...

HOT! At least with all the toppings and attempts to de-spicify my soup it was more of a delayed reaction and not so much of a BAM... more like a... youch!

The end consensus was that the soup was delicious and that we'll make it again. But when we do, no jalapenos will be necessary. Well, maybe just one ;)

Thoughts after the first night's sleep after watching the first episode of The Walking Dead

2011-10-26T05:20:00.003-06:00

Attention television and movie makers:

You know, I'm pretty sure the entirety of society has gotten to the point where if there actually was a zombie apocalypse we would know what's going on. We wouldn't come up with any clever names like walkers or darkseekers. We would just say "dude! There's zombies everywhere out there!"

I'm not sure if it's supposedly more clever to call them walkers, but come on. You're not fooling anyone. There are zombies everywhere.

Adulthood

2011-10-20T20:53:00.003-06:00

I've decided that growing up is a funny thing. I think that a lot of the time it's honestly just an abstract, fictional construct. I mean, I suppose it's quite literal during childhood years, but exactly the opposite during later years. Anyway I digress.

I thought not much would change when I left home at 18 for college and my mission. A few years later, I didn't think anything was the same when I visited home. In a way, I think I was right on both accounts. I think growing up is such a gradual process that we never even notice the little things that change. Little by little though, we become completely different people that are somehow the exact same. One of my friends that I've known for ten years or so I hardly ever talk to anymore. Sure we have fun when we're around each other, but it seems neither of us have much of a desire to keep close contact. Another one I talk to on a constant basis. He left the country for a month and I honestly felt a little lost without our set Halo game nights and complaining about work via texts. The interesting thing is that the first lives close and has followed a somewhat similar path as I have, while the latter lives a few hundred miles away and follows a lifestyle that is nearly the opposite of mine. It's just that as the months and years have gone by, important things have shifted ever so imperceptibly until it has reached this point.

I think I feel more mature than my 18 year old self. I know I've seen much more of the other side of life, which I can't help but feel will be a constant pattern as I grow older. But then again, I felt pretty mature fresh out of high school. What's the difference? Right now, I'm a 24 year old husband and father. I have a Bachelor's Degree and a (mostly) real job. I pay bills, share ownership of vehicles, have my own phone, own furniture, and rent out a spot to live. But I still find nearly just as much joy in some of the things I used to do as a teenager, and I'm not ashamed of that.

I know this is honestly just a bunch of incoherent, self-indulgent and presumptuous rambling. I'm not sure where it came from. It could be the fact that in the same day I drove to my job listening to Kanye West, held down and help put an autistic boy in physical restraints, made jokes about Arnold Schwarzenegger, gave my daughter a bath, played Uno, talked to my wife about her feeling sick, and I'm about to play a game that I would have enjoyed as a grade school kid. That's a lot of different roles.

Just made me think a bit.

Movin' and a Groovin'

2011-10-15T10:05:00.003-06:00

I've been looking for something for Chloe to play with in the kitchen while I'm cooking. Nothing in the family room can hold her attention when I'm not in the room. We've tried measuring cups, bowls, pans, etc. But nothing can hold a candle to Peanut Buttery goodness :)

Chloe LOVES Tangled and LOVES to dance to anything familiar or new. Theme music to favorite shows like Psych or Monk and of course any movie with something catchy. I make sure we have dance parties often :) Especially to Daddy's guitar playing!

So last night...

2011-10-14T11:18:00.002-06:00

Chloe has been having nightmares for a while now. It is really heartbreaking and it is starting to make Jameson and I even more sleep deprived. But mostly it is really sad seeing her so scared. We've put a nightlight in her room, played church music as she sleeps... We're running out of creative ideas so we'll be talking to the doctor about that come next Tuesday.

So last night Chloe woke herself up and I was on the way to help her out when something really odd happened. As I was rolling out of bed I had the distinct impression that I needed a blanket to help Chloe. So I started to pull a blanket off the bed. It was a rather stubborn blanket. And you have to understand, I wasn't all there.

Finally it started to give way and then Jameson grunted. He asked what I was doing and I think I told him that I needed a blanket. So he rolled over and relinquished the blanket. Now, there was only a sheet and a quilt. I took Jameson's main blanket. I'm a nice wife like that. Then I went in to Chloe, gave her binky back to her, turned her music on and she was asleep.

Yup. I TOTALLY needed that blanket.
Sorry Love.

Messes

2011-10-04T08:10:00.002-06:00

It started out like any other eating fest. Chloe was hungry, it was dinner time, so I heated the green beans and sat her cute bottom down. Darkness fell very quickly. I didnt know what to do so I left Chloe with a full bowl of beans and her spoon.
It started out innocent enough. Just tucking her spoon behind her ear and rubbing it on her face.

Then a little bit more on her face.
Then it got ugly. Very mad. Yelling was involved along with splattering, yes, splattering of food. Apparently, the babycenter emails are wrong about her being ready to use spoons.
Everything was pretty messed up. Tray, chair, bowl... see how empty that full bowl is? Guess how much is in her tummy. Not much.

So... we took a sink bath. And she LOVED it!

Firsts and smiles

2011-10-04T07:36:00.007-06:00

Chloe fix!!!! Yeah, not possible. I didnt realize how long it had been since I uploaded pictures of Chloe. So let me give y'all a little update. Chloe is 8 and a half months old. She is just over 15 pounds and a locomotive fiend. She just cut her 6th tooth and it starting to try and stand without any holds. She has started to eat off our plates this week and that is the only way she'll eat meats. She is also taking after her mama and loves ice cream :P She has also begun to give kisses!

Chloe LOVES apples. Even in babyfood form, applesauce is her favorite. She likes to suck on the apple right after I take a bite so she gets all of the juices.
She is a mean lean driving machine!
I started to let her play with the bowl and spoon after I fed her to help her get more acquainted with them. Little did I know the first thing she'd do is flip it onto herself.

Chloe has recently taken an interest in mouths. When we sing to her at night she sticks her finger in our mouths. If we stick out our tongue she has to touch it. This picture doesn't really get the full effect of how deep she was really sticking her hand in Jameson's mouth.
Chloe received a Halloween package from Grandma Parnell and in it, her first doll!
Chloe's reign of terror has now expanded to our shelve of video games.
She loves taking naps in our recliner snuggled with Daddy. I'll walk into the room and she'll be knocked out to Jameson blowing people up.
My waterbottle has been the love of Chloe's life. She is constantly going for the straw and spilling the water everywhere to get it out.
A few Sundays ago I was getting ready for church and as a joke clipped a bow in her hair and it stayed! I was so excited that I left it there all day.

Two firsts in one: This is the outfit that Jameson and I bought the day we found out we were having a girl :) It was also Chloe's first train ride!
First time on a swing. Do you think she liked it? Cause... she did.
One toy for each hand is a balanced joyful time! Chloe loves tags. Most her toys she only likes for the plastic tag holders, so Grandma Parnell knew what to do: Taggie toys!
Halloween outfit in September? Yes. You can never prepare too much for Halloween.
Brush'em brush'em brush'em! Chloe's first toothbrush and brushing. Not the biggest fan because one of the teeth are still pushing through.

Her new favorite toy! She'll push it all over the floor. I'll post a video of it.

New clothes! We've begun to dip into her 9 month clothes.

The Pleasures of Everyday life

2011-10-04T07:30:00.004-06:00

One of the most awesome things about being married to Jameson is that every day holds a new adventure for me. For example, we were hanging out in our new living room when I couldn't help but notice *cringe* 5 flies buzzing around. So, I grabbed some junk mail to try and swat them. Little did I know, Jameson, is a pro swatter.This is Jameson following one of the more rambunctious flies. Notice the double-wielding of the newspapers and the slighting tensing of the soldiers so as to SPRING into action at the slightest shift in the flies' flight pattern.
And the irrepressible joy that came from stalking his flighty prey and pleasing his wife's desire to have them gone all in one! He is a ninja!

Grandma and Granpa visiting equals DATE NIGHT!

2011-10-04T07:15:00.004-06:00

(Chloe is a guitar girl. No doubt about that)

We were lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa Ranck come visit for a week while they dropped off Becca at school. Yes, school started a month ago, but we're playing catch up. We hosted a few nights at our new place which we were pleased to see could handle it. Despite the lack of seating. I made my second roast since Jameson and I have been married and it was AWESOME :) I should've gotten a picture... Grandma and Grandpa bought Chloe her first Disney shirt:

Because they were here, Jameson and I took advantage of it and went on a double date with our friends Damen and Aleece! This was our first sans baby date ever. I didnt text them incessantly and our date even went over time and I didnt freak out :) We were supposed to play laser tag but the owners were super sketch and didnt show up even after an hour and a half of waiting after it was supposed to "open". Psh. So we walked to the store for some beverage and went to play mini golf instead. Jameson and I got spanked because of me, so we're owing some delicious dinner! But between losing balls in the water, hitting the grate for a second "last chance shot" and several do-overs for me, it was awesome!
Yes, it was my ball lost to the raging stream.
We were the "Red Rancks" and they were the "Green Geislers".

Hate is a strong word

2011-09-27T22:02:00.002-06:00

So, as my friends just barely pointed out, everyone has different preferences. And seeing as how it's 10:00 (which means Seinfeld just came on) and I need something else to simultaneously occupy my time, I'm going to share with you the things that make me weirder than everyone else. Yes, these are the things that I hate which everyone else in the entire world enjoys.

-Ranch dressing
-Horror movies
-Everything related to Lady Gaga
-Call of Duty
-Any sports rivalry
-Diet Coke
-The Office (past season 4)
-JANE AUSTIN
-iPads
-Megan Fox
-Sam Worthington
-Die Hard 2
-American Idol
-Metallica
-Hipsters
-Skinny Jeans
-Leggings
-Any comedy in the vein of Wedding Crashers, The Hangover, Hot Tub Time Machine, etc.
-Seth Rogen
-Talking baby commercials
-Almost every rapper besides Kanye West
-Apple products, services, and employees
-Swimming
-And, Hugh Jackman

Nah, just kidding. Hugh Jackman is actually fairly entertaining.

Bum knee

2011-09-21T20:21:00.003-06:00

So on Sunday our friend Tiny had us down to Provo to watch the Eagles lose to the Falcons. We actually went down to watch them win, but you know how it goes. Anyway, about a half hour before we go home I notice my knee is acting a little funny when I walked on it. I thought nothing of it because I had had this sort of feeling once or twice before and went on my merry way.

Enter Monday, which also happens to be my first day of work this week. My knee hurt. It felt weird, not exactly a pain but had a slight pain element to it. It almost felt like something tweaking or oscillating. On the inside of my left knee, more toward the back. Not a normal place for that. Anyway, at work I'm always on my feet. Always. For a 12 hour shift.

It was a party.

Luckily, I was on a one to one with a patient (basically stay at arms reach all the time so that they don't endanger themselves or others) so I got a couple of hours sitting while he napped. Luckily in the day room so I could watch ESPN.

Tuesday comes and my knee feels a little better, but not stupendous. I was able to go home a little early (after 9 hours) so I got to let my leg rest. Yay!

Today I finally buckled and bought a knee brace. It has been acting up a little more again, and hopefully this will help stabilize it or whatever to help the healing of whatever it might be. If it keeps up for a few more days I may get it checked out. Hopefully it doesn't though...I just signed up for my benefits and I don't think my insurance has kicked in yet. Sigh.

By the way I'm well on my way into starting grad school applications. I'm actually applying to Michigan (I think I heard Aleece's scream from here) but also Ohio State. I'm sure a universe somewhere will implode from this fact alone.

Chloe Fix

2011-09-16T17:16:00.002-06:00

The first video is of Chloe and her best friend Leah. She loves this puppy! Every bark and whine Leah makes sends Chloe into fits of laughter. It was absolutely darling! Chloe even loves being attacked all over her face by Leah's eager tongue. The mother inside me freaks out, but she loves it so much that I let it happen and just wipe off her face after.

The second video is Chloe and Jameson vying for who has the most important thing to say and who can say it the loudest. We'll get some movin' and groovin' videos up soon. I dont think y'all would believe how all over the place she is.

Hairy Situation

2011-09-11T13:36:00.003-06:00

Today it was my intention to have my hair curly. Jameson was off at work, Chloe was entertaining herself and I had decided the day before it would be fun to do something I hadn't done in a while and give Jameson a pretty lady to come home to.

Well, I went about curling my hair. And you know what? It was working perfectly. My hair hasn't curled that readily in ages.
Bottom layer: done
Middle layer: done
Right side: done

Hmmm... I wonder what time it is. Old family friend was picking me up for church you see. I play the prelude music in Relief Society and they like me to be there 5 minutes early. She said she would be there at 8:35.

What time is it?
8:35.

I grab Chloe, put her in her car seat, throw my music book in her diaper bag and just as I'm clicking the last click and zipping the last zipper.... knock knock.

So there I am. Half my hair curled. The other half slick and straight as can be. I threw my hair up in a ponytail and told myself no one would be the wiser of my failed hair. I got through most of the service when my head started to hurt so I pulled it down and told myself no one would pay any attention to my hair or even see it.

Sacrament meeting gets going and I hear a "Is Rebecca Ranck here today?" I try to show I'm there and finally they ask me to stand up. Stand...up... My failed hair showing proudly, my daughter crawling over our sweet family friend I'm sustained in.

Messy hair, crawling baby, no one can say they weren't warned today what they are getting themselves into.

Ramblings pt. infinity

2011-08-27T20:29:00.003-06:00

I'm reading Les Miserables at the moment. Well, not this second, but you get the idea. Anyway, it's been a long process and I'm still not even close. I started somewhere around two months ago and I am a quarter of the way through the book. Despite this, I am a reader. I love it. How else would you explain me reading (and highly enjoying) this book on my own? It's a dense read, but every now and then there are beautiful gems in there. Such as this quote that I read an hour or so ago:

"It has been calculated that what with salvos, royal and military politenesses, courteous exchanges of uproar, signals of etiquette, formalities of roadsteads and citadels, sunrises and sunsets, saluted every day by all fortresses and all ships of war, openings and closings of ports, etc., the civilized world, discharged all over the earth, in the course of four and twenty hours, one hundred and fifty thousand useless shots. At six francs the shot, that comes to nine hundred thousand francs a day, three hundred millions a year, which vanish in smoke. This is a mere detail. All this time the poor were dying of hunger."

This got me thinking. Normally I stay out of any sort of discussion about budgets (unless it's about our household) and politics, but I honestly started thinking of what better uses of resources there are out there than a lot of what we do. I mean, surely there are useless traditions or something that can be cut out. But what do I know? I'm just a citizen with zero knowledge of economics.

At work a therapist Scott was kind of addressing this same issue. He noticed that people try desperately to raise money to find cures for diseases that affect a very small percentage of the population while widespread problems go ignored. His example was dysentery: there are plenty of ways to treat it and plenty of people affected. Why does the government grant millions to research new technology and cures when they don't even use the ones they have? At the time I kind of laughed it off, but thinking about it now it kind of makes sense.

I am rambling. I know it. I'm not trying to make any sort of point. Maybe just an urge that there are people out there who need us and there are ways we can help if we just look outside of ourselves and break our routines every once in a while. We may be surprised by what shows up.

Why today is a success

2011-08-22T11:21:00.003-06:00

It is 11:22 in the morning and I already know that when I am lying in bed and about to fall asleep I will be at peace because I was successful today.

Want to know how? I accomplished 3 things:

1.Fell asleep cuddled with Chloe on the bed
2.I made the bed
3.My kitchen table is back to normal from family dinner last night.

I'm not running around putting all the dishes in the cupboard or back in their boxes. I'm not stressing about the fact that our bathroom reeks of mold. I am not crawling behind Chloe picking up everything she discards and I am not putting on my makeup. But I have accomplished something bigger.

I took a nap with my sweet baby girl curled up next to my chest with the sweet smell of heaven rising from her face. I made the bed so now when I walk by the door the room looks clean. I wont think about everything else I have to clean because that one spot and my kitchen table look good. I have areas of peace.

I may be sick, I may be tired, I may be missing my husband today, but I am keeping grounded and celebrating the victories I have won. Because at the end of this day, this is what matters:

Catch up

2011-08-17T14:53:00.001-06:00

Jameson and I took a trip to Seattle for a friend's wedding reception a long time ago and I'm only just now getting to posting about it. I was waiting to post until I got pictures but they aren't on my camera and I'm at a loss at to where Jameson's is.

It was an awesome and much needed vacation. I got to spend the whole time with Ma and Papi. Wow, I should've done this sooner. I cant remember it all clearly. The first day Mom let us go to my favorite Thai restaurant. YUM! The best part is their what we call, kitchen-sink soup. Oh man... Chloe loved it. She got attention all day long. She started to sleep all night long while we were there. Something magic about parents homes. She was already rolling from front to back and back to front but it was there she really perfected rolling around. Ma and Papi also let me cook them dinner! I made them our new favorite dinner of chicken parm. Mom got pictures of it, so I'll have to post them from her camera when I see her next. They also got some cute family pictures of us for the family collage on the fridge. We have copies of those, so I'll get those up.

Now, speed up a few months.

We're in our new place. It is very much a work in progress. Jameson is gone all day and we're so happy to relax together at the end of it so things are slow moving. Chloe is climbing and crawling everywhere so unless she is napping, I dont get much done. I did find a store close, so I can walk about 1.5 to Walmart when I need something.

We've had lots of false alarms. But this time I really have seen it. The first tooth. She has gotten very protective of her mouth so I knew something was different. Today it looks like it has broken through so hopefully she is feeling a little better. I am the assistant manager here, so I work every other Saturdays as well as clean the halls every week. The cleaning gig is new, but it is another $200-250. I just want to keep doing what I can, you know?

My birthday was last week! YAY! It was awesome. Jameson let me sleep after Chloe woke up and ate. Then we realized the Relief Society Presidency were coming to meet me in 15 minutes, so I took a quick shower and cleaned a little. For lunch Jameson took me to Chipotle. What a loving loving husband :) Then we went to Target to buy my birthday meal ingredients. He sent me off to the gym! I got to do my thing and come home to a home cooked meal of Alice Spring chicken (we make it with pepper jack cheese instead) and asparagus fries. Then he hustled me down to Provo where his sweet siblings set an evening aside last minute for me. Jameson made me a cake, they sang to me too! Jessica and Adam got me a movie date :) Reeses, M'n'Ms and a gift card to RedRobin...yuuumm. (Needless to say Jameson was very happy about their choice in candy and restaurant. Brenton bought me a book on Swiss ball exercises which I'm really excited to try out!

Happy Birthday to me :) This pictures was taken 2 days later, but it is my birthday picture.

The truth will set you free

2011-08-12T16:49:00.003-06:00

NOT

I was having a rather pleasant day. Then I got this:

"Did you start your twitch before 18?"

"Twitch." I've called this time and time again a "spasm". May we all agree that "spasm" sounds less disturbing and distressing.

It was followed up with "You could have chronic motor tic disorder. It's like tourettes without the vocal part. :)"

My husband thinks I have tourettes.

Who needs it?

2011-08-07T13:15:00.003-06:00

It's been whispered under breaths, but I'm here to lay the rumors to rest: I am an idiot.

The reason? I never listen to what my body says.

You see, I honestly think sleep is a waste of time. People are always shocked when they hear this because they LOVE to sleep, but I really don't. My sleep goes as follows: I get tired, fall into a mini coma, and wake up generally still tired. What a waste of a night! Think of all I could be doing. I mean, none of it would be productive (I would probably just read and play several hours worth of video games) but it would be great. But instead I am unconscious.

This is also one of the reasons I hate naps. Let's take today for example. It's almost 1:30. We got home from church a little over an hour ago and I've been exhausted with a headache for over half of that. But what am I doing? Writing this. Surfing other blogs. Trying to decide a name for my brand spanking new fantasy football team (it's The Penguins). Chloe is sleeping. Becky is either sleeping or reading in bed. And I'm here.

One of the issues is that I actually got a good night's rest last night. See, if it had been like a month or two ago and I had gotten between three and five hours of sleep there's no way I would be out here. I would be sleeping. But today? I think nine hours of sleep is plenty. In fact, too much. How can I be tired? I slept for nine, have been awake for six, and am exhausted. Becky says it's my body still trying to catch up on what I lost.

In that case, I'm screwed. I'm going to be tired for the rest of my life.

2 years and counting

2011-07-31T02:55:00.003-06:00

Two years ago I entered the Seattle Temple with the most amazing man I have ever met.

This video of us leaving is pretty accurate in describing our relationship. We dont always go the way we are supposed to go but we get there eventually. We know that laughter is the best medicine. We know how to smile and graciously back up. We continue to love deeper and truer every day.

Jameson, thank you for making me the happiest, luckiest woman in the world. Thank you for taking a chance on someone you had only met twice and that stalked you on facebook to get a date. Thank you for loving me for me and embracing the crazy along with the cute.

The End of an Era

2011-07-22T11:32:00.003-06:00

Other working title: Pro's and Con's

Today marks the beginning of the end of an era. Last night Jameson and I slept in the same bed at the same time and it was night outside. He has officially quit Target and is moving on to bigger and more responsible things. He, as I am sure will post about soon, is now a Psych Tech at a hospital up in West Valley. It takes an hour to get there from our current home so we are moving August 1st to Holladay. Where his drive will only be 16 minutes.

Did I fail to mention the best part? Oh... he is working a day shift :)

Our move would make my commute to work 40 minutes. And even though that is very do-able and Jameson made to sure let me know he would support me no matter what my decision, I have decided my services are better at home right now. We are playing with the idea of me picking up a serving job again if I want to earn some mad money and to get out of the house on occasion. Jameson has been so awesome through my constant "i'm quitting. no i cant. i'm quitting! no.... I really cant". I have loved this job more than any other job (Mother excluded) and I am incredibly sad to be leaving it. I put in my two weeks yesterday so I have 4 more left.

As sad as I am though, it doesn't compare to how happy I'll be to be sleeping with Jameson again.

That said, graves have been an incredible blessing for us. I know we've complained and y'all have called us crazy for doing them and our health has been a constant worry for everyone (including us) but really, these jobs have been amazing. Working graves has given us amazing gifts. We have spent more time together than any other couple in Provo I know because we have all day together. When I had Chloe he was here to help me all day (I seriously believe that is why I didnt get baby blues). It enabled him to continue going to school full time. It allowed me to make more in less time. And countless other blessings.

Graves, you have been fun. We will miss you in some ways I'm sure. But, like Jameson told me the other day, "You could tell you felt better about life after being on maternity leave because you were getting sleep".

Here is to getting a good night's sleep and feeling better about life.

Purely pleasure

2011-07-17T17:46:00.003-06:00

Now that we have all of the business and crazy out of the way on the blog, we can write about some of the actual FUN things we did recently. Life isn't all hard times...after all, all work and no play make Jack not have to sleep in the street or something like that. But anyway.

We went to Seattle! It was awesome. We were able to stay at Becky's parents' home and visit them. It had been far too long since we've seen them and we loved every minute. Of course the highlight was Chloe. She got more attention showered on her that we can give her in twice the time and they were able to see the cutest baby ever. Everyone wins!

We were also able to stop by my friend Michael's for his reception. It was the first time Becky had met his husband Ryan and she decided that she's a fan. He is a cool guy. The reception was pretty fun, and had some fantastic food. And...that may be all I have to say about that. Wordsy today, I know.

So our friends Aleece and Damen are having a summer giveaway on their blog. You all should head over and comment!

(Becky's turn!)Because who can't use new excuses for a date night, huh!?

Things, like Jameson said, have been crazy. I've been meaning to post about Seattle, but I haven't gotten my camera hooked up for pictures to go with it... and Mom got most of the pictures on her camera. But it was a much needed vacation. It is also when Chloe started to sleep through the night. Seattle is magic. All the trees, thick air, green...family. Love it. We also got into baby food while there. Chloe's favorite is Sweet Potatoes.

We have put in an application for a new apartment. We're really hoping for this one. I would get to be an Assistant Manager on call only every other Saturday for a $100 discount on our rent. WOOT! We've made the decision that I will be quitting my job. Along with a huge sigh of relief comes sadness. I will miss it a lot. I made a lot of friends there.... other than about 3 friends, they are all there. It'll be hard to learn to go out of my way to find them now. Especially in an older area and with a baby. It isn't a skill I have yet. But, I'm sure it'll work out.

The only other things I have to say about summer is that I am LOVING my gym pass!!! and that Chloe is a rolling/crawling adorable terror.

Been a long time since we rock and rolled

2011-07-10T08:38:00.003-06:00

Well what do you know, it's been almost a month! But that is totally acceptable in our case. You know how some people say they just didn't have time? Well, I actually didn't (that means I'm so much cooler than anyone else who says it obviously).

This past while has been...insane. Most of you probably know, but I'm sure some don't, that I actually was accepted to grad school. I don't think I posted this anywhere and went back to my graduation post to check and didn't see it, so I'll talk about it (possibly for the second time). Just when I had pretty much given up hope about getting into grad school this coming year and trying to steel myself for another year staying here, I got an information packet from a Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. And it seemed awesome. We paid the money and applied and they actually offered me a PsyD opportunity there. It seemed perfect! Everything had just fallen into place. Until it didn't seem perfect at all.

I heard a few things about the school and researched a little more and got some very conflicted feelings. Becky and I prayed about it for days and we finally came to the conclusion that the school wasn't for us. I'm sure that had we gone, our lives would have been just fine and not any worse for the wear, but we felt that there were other things. It was a very hard decision. I had been wanting grad school for months and had worked so hard since the fall to make sure that I would get in. Now to find that I did and was going to say no? It was rough. I waited for a few days and finally felt like I needed to tell them right now that I wouldn't be attending. So I sent them an email and never heard back so I assume that they got it.

The next day we were going to go to the zoo! Remember that post? Dinosaurs and tigers? Yeah. We went with our friends Aleece and Damen and had a blast. Over dinner conversation turned to work. Aleece actually works in a hospital psych ward. She told me they might be looking for someone and gave me the information. Thus started our new adventure.

After getting in contact, I got an interview. I was told that I would need a CNA (certified nurse's assistant) certification to work there (it's kind of law now) and I was willing to pay for the (rather expensive) class out of pocket. He told me if my reference checked out I would have the job. We were excited! Something worked out like a miracle! And when I called him to tell him the date I had signed up for the class, it seemed that something was wrong and he said he would check with his supervisor and to keep in touch. I guess some crazy things happened with work and I heard he went on vacation, but all I know is I couldn't get a hold of him for two weeks. My class started on the 27th of June, and Becky and I decided to just forge ahead and have faith for the best.

The next week and a half were insanity. I was waking up at 6AM to get to class on time and coming home at 7pm, where I would balance dinner, some family time and a nap before 10 when I would leave for work. I would get home around 3 or 4 in the morning for a nap before starting it the next day. The actual class ran from Monday to Friday, and then I had clinical days Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The first two days I had the same schedule, but Tuesday and Wednesday I was up at 4:30 in the morning and was back home around 3 or 3:30 pm. And then I finished. Finally.

It should be noted how amazing Becky was during this whole time. She gets lonely and misses me when I leave for the grocery store by myself, and she toughed out ten days of barely kissing me and saying hi while she handled Chloe (who has now officially started teething) by herself. I have the most amazing wife in the world. She truly inspires me and without her I couldn't have made it through.

I called again and was told that...I was being offered a job! It was so relieving and exciting to know that not everything was in vain. We are still breathing a huge sigh of relief while scrambling to get everything done. We need an apartment this month up in Salt Lake (which translates to lots of gas money checking out our prospects), I need to turn in my two weeks notice for Target (and Becky for her job) though I'm not sure when my exact starting date at the hospital is, and we need some sleep.

Life is so good right now. I love it every day and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope all of you feel the same about yours.

Father's Day

2011-06-18T22:47:00.003-06:00

First, Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Father, Father-in-law and new Father Jameson!

To my Daddy:
Thank you for all the sweet (and not sweet) memories in my memory bank. Thank you for the bedtime stories. Thank you for all the whisker kisses, both warranted and attacked. Thank you for dropping everything to come help me after my first car accident. Thank you for quitting your job in California to stay with us in Colorado because I wanted you there for me. Thank you for all the life lessons you taught me, like dont make stuff up. Thank you for the lessons you continue to teach me, like loving the moment you're in. Thank you for coming to cheer me on at my swim meets. Thank you for coming down the stairs to scare away my boyfriend after he stayed pass curfew. Thank you for teaching me how to be a thinker instead of a follower. Thank you for loving so much that I never doubted it.

To my Daddy-in-law:
Thank you for loving me like a daughter. Thank you for all the book suggestions. Thank you for loving watching silly things like Avatar. Thank you for inviting me to PF Changs with the family after only dating Jameson for a week. Thank you for not telling your family Jameson and I got engaged so we could all laugh when Aunt June didnt realize what my ring meant. Thank you for taking 24 hours of your trip to the US to give a Father's Blessing. Thank you for loving Jameson through all the hard times. Thank you for supporting him through all the good times. Thank you for your cheerful spirit. Thank you for being the kind of father Jameson aspires to become.

To my husband, and new Daddy:
Thank you for wanting a little girl first. Thank you for wanting to read bedtime stories to Chloe every night. Thank you for hold her during bath time so she can wiggle more. Thank you for wanting to be the one to pull her out of the crib so you can watch her wake up. Thank you for wanting to pinch her so you can walk with her during church. Thank you for reading scriptures with her every day. Thank you for pushing the boundaries by throwing her higher than I would or letting her roll when I wouldn't. Thank you for wanting to be the kind of Daddy your daughter will always look up to.

To all the Daddys in my life:
Thank you for being the strong Priesthood leaders you are. For being good examples of what a Daddy should be. Becoming a mother has instilled in me an even deeper gratefulness for strong and loving fathers. For all the good times, hard times, you are loved through them all.

Some people find this song cheesy or over done. Personally, this is my favorite Daddy-Daughter song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmC3rJR7E98

People Run This!?

2011-06-15T15:57:00.007-06:00

Chloe's pre-hike nap with her new favorite toy

After two years of marriage and all the time Jameson lived here single, we finally hiked the Y!

Jameson finally made me the promise that when he got his hair cut we'd hike it. If he got his hair cut at the beginning of the week we would hike it at the end and if he got his hair cut at the end of the week we'd hike it at the beginning.

So, we did! The first time we left it was around 12. We were just about there when we realized we forgot our water. We went back for it. It took us a good long time to get to the top. Jameson's friend had hiked it a few days before and said she had to stop at the first three switchbacks. For those of you know that know my competitive nature, I didnt stop the first three. What can I say, I feel like I have something to prove now that I've had a baby.

We passed a Grandmother and Granddaughter. Out of their whole group, 2 were ahead and the rest turned back. As we stood at the top of the Y we were happy to see that they made it! We heard her tell her granddaughter that if she dies tomorrow, she can at least say that she hiked the Y!

It was a wonderful outing :) Chloe was pleasant the whole time. She even fell asleep for the last stretch up. Jameson and I panted our way through some of the parts but this (and the Zoo trip last week) have instilled in us the desire to go out and do something outside more often.

What can I say? We still love doing things together all the time :) Isn't that a relief? Knowing you enjoy doing things with your best friend every-single-day for ever and ever!?

Jameson conquered the hill!

We all conquered the hill!

Stopping halfway up to enjoy the view

So happy :)
Loving life

Welcome to Zoorassic Park

2011-06-13T14:46:00.005-06:00

So we went to the zoo last Monday! It was fantastic. We met up with our friends Aleece and Damen and had a picnic and then headed over through the dust and construction. And it was awesome. Chloe came along and looked amazing as always for her first visit to be entertained by animals trapped in tiny habitats.
We found out she is taller than an infant gorilla.

Becky and her cuddled with some cougars.

We rode a dinosaur bareback as he slogged through marble.

And after a long day she passed out, having loved her semi-urban safari.

All in all it was a fantastic day. We went to Chipotle for dinner and had some great food and came home and relaxed. It was a great day!

Things are going well here in our home. A lot of big deals and uncertainty but things are going well. I'll definitely let you all know when things are more certain. And I hope you have a great day!

Birthday

2011-06-07T14:02:00.003-06:00

So we are behind on blogging. We try to give the other person a couple days grace period when they post so that they can get comments or whatever, and it winds up a week later with no post. We went to the zoo yesterday, and that deserves a blog as well, but for now I am finally getting to blog my birthday!

So the day before my birthday on Saturday, Becky treated me to a party! We went to Tucanos for lunch/dinner (and had a terrible waitress) with my brother Brenton and my sister and her husband Jessica and Adam. After stuffing our faces, we went back to our place to have a little get together. I got some amazing presents; Becky gave me some awesome red, green and orange socks and a game Portal 2 (which is awesome). She also got me a years subscription to Game Informer. Yes, I am a nerd. She also got me the most awesome shirt, which you can view here. Or on facebook. My siblings got me Super Smash Bros for the Wii and a board game called Kill Doctor Lucky which is darkly hilarious.

Becky also made me the most amazing cake...it was shaped like a dinosaur! It was also delicious.

Anyway, not sure what else I can say about it. It was a perfect day thanks to my amazing wife and family. And our two year anniversary is coming up next month. Crazy! I hope you all are doing well :)

Happy Back to Work Present

2011-06-01T21:46:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, going back to work was a debate in my mind (and others) for many moon! I was constantly going back and forth on what I want, what would be best for our little family and what I would feel good about doing. Around week 5 of my maternity leave I called and informed them that 6 weeks is simply WAY too soon and that I would be back after my 13 weeks were up. They were very nice about it and I continued to stew.

The main reason I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back was Jameson. He had been going to school full time, working 5 graves a week, working on grad school applications and adapting to being a new father. The last thing I wanted him to do was be up 7 nights a week when 2 of them could be avoided. After much debate and prayer we decided to send me back to work. I loved being there so much and it felt more like an all nighter girls night than actual work.

Not to mention... Chloe slept the first two nights I went back. So it seemed SO do-able.

To celebrate my first paycheck we did what I have been wanting to do for months. I had been going back and forth about it and told Jameson several times I want it, but that it was too expensive. Finally, my broken back won me out and we set out to buy this bad boy:

It is the ultimate sleeping chair as you just observed.
Chloe's favorite rocker (other than her Daddy of course)!

But most importantly, it is my new breastfeeding/rocking/sleeping/back loving/movie watching/ Becky has gone back to work and deserves this chair present!

It is probably Jameson's and my new favorite house item. It is comfy but supportive. Cool when you first down and warms to your perfect temperature. Easy to clean (hallelujah).

It was the perfect way to spend my first paycheck. Thank you Jameson for supporting me in going back to the job I love, being willing to learn how to get up with Chloe and feed her with a bottle and loving me enough to find spending an unexpected amount of money on me :) You are my love of this life and the next!

Week of Bliss

2011-05-27T13:00:00.002-06:00

This week I gave myself the present of free workouts.
Consequently, this week Jameson gave me the gift of time to have my free workouts.

This week started out with the goal to go to the gym every day. This was for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I was sick of complaining about how out of shape I felt to Jameson all the time. Second, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Third, I wanted to do something about how I've been feeling.

Monday: Feeling good and proud, I went to the gym and signed up for a week free trial. I hit the treadmill with confidence. Not so far into it the confidence left. My worst fears felt realized. I was ridiculously out of shape. I was losing weight and felling good about myself, so being defeated was pretty awful. I managed to stay on and get my hour work out.

Tuesday: Two words: Spin class. WOOO! I like it, I love it, I want some more of it! Katie is the best teacher I've ever had. It was in a dark room, blaring music and lots of energy. I got my bum handed to me on a silver platter (and the sore nether regions the next day). I felt glorious. It was nice to be back in a place where I actually felt accountable for my workout. I made a friend next to me from Omaha Nebraska and we kept each other going. I walked in the door of my home with my arms raised and Jameson knew I felt victorious.

Wednesday: Swimming laps. There is no better way to put me in a better mood than giving me a lane and unlimited swimming. I did some drills and a slew of 200s (my race in college). I even had an extra suit and shorts for drag. Smelling like chlorine the rest of the day was nothing short of fabulous. By today, I could feel myself walking taller, shoulders back and feelin' darn good.

Thursday: Body Pump! Hurt oh so....oh so good! I couldn't make it through every rep and twice I had to stop and change my weights. But I am still feeling this class deep in my muscles. Katie was the teacher again (yes, I planned that. She was in my ward). She kept our spirits up, the track pumping and made us smile through the pain. We did a new track for triceps that just came out... Let me tell you, I am SO glad Chloe is not any heavier than she is. Otherwise, I couldn't lift her. The rest of the day Jameson could hear me giggling all over the house because I couldn't lift my arms above my head or hold something up.

Friday: ZUMBA! Oh my goodness. If you ever want to see a whole bunch of white girls shakin' their thangs, poppin' and lockin' or droppin' it like it's hot, this is where you go. It was awesome! Katie (Katie, Katie, Katie) is the best! Getting a hint here? She made the class so much fun! In the middle of a routine she split us down the middle and it was like we were competing with one another with shimmies and booty shakes. It was an awesome way to wind my muscles down from the Body Pump the day before.

Tomorrow is my last day. Because I work tonight I cant go to an early class with Katie. So it may just be a free day for me or there is another Zumba class later, or a Boot Camp. I've been debating about it. It is my last chance so I want to fit in another class while I've got the option. But time is crunched because tomorrow we celebrate my love's 24th birthday! If we were pilgrims, Jameson would be considered an elder! Weird, huh?

Just wanted to share with you my week of bliss! It has been amazing. Jameson has been awesome taking care of Chloe while I've been away, despite his recently feeling a little under the weather. He inspired me to go to the early classes and helped me to get out the door when Chloe wanted me to stay. I couldn't have had this fabulous week without you! Thank you for letting me get some time doing what I love and loving what I do. It has made me happier, which makes you happier, which makes for one heck of a happy, healthy home.

Three cheers for free gym week!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!

On how my intelligence works

2011-05-22T11:19:00.004-06:00

I have decided that I am good at several things. I make fantastic cookies. I can dress myself in a manner that indicates that I am not, in fact, colorblind. I know a thing or two about music theory and can work my way around a guitar, bass, and a few saxophones. I learned to read at a young age and have been doing so ever since. I can do rudimentary math, I can vacuum, scrub anything, sweep, mow lawns, and do a tiny bit of woodwork. I am fairly good at video games (almost done with FFX) and I can write with at least enough competence to earn me fairly good grades in school (I graduated with a 3.42).

What I cannot do, however, is figure out a grocery store.

Sure I can figure out superstores like Target. After all, I'm on my second round of working at one. In fact, I probably know more about the area I work in than anyone else who steps inside that store on any given day.

Grocery stores, on the other hand, are full of trickery. And deceit.

I like to think of myself as at least a decently simple guy. How stores work out their sales is beyond my comprehension. Enter story.

Yesterday I decided to go to the store to buy some necessities like Corn Pops and cheese. Macey's is having a sale on cereal, so off I go. I took Chloe and left Becky to sleep since she worked all night. After all, I'm a man. I can spend money and come back with things we need. As I get to the grocery store I grab an ad for the sales and see that if you buy four boxes of cereal then they're only 1.88. Nice right? So I walk over and there are four varieties in the area: Corn Pops, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks and Frosted Flakes. I like the pure sugar while Becky likes the substance, and Frosted Flakes is the most substantial so I got two boxes of those and filled in the other two requisites. Then I went off to get the other things for dinner.

As I get to the checkout, I hand the guy the coupon and he says that Frosted Flakes are not a part of the sale. Yes, in fine print on the coupon it says that the other three are the only varieties eligible. But...what? They were all in the area under the banner! Why would you include non sale cereal? To catch suckers like me that's why. So I spent more than I wanted, was irritated at this store, and set off.

I get to the car and load everything up when I realize: I forgot the tubes of croissants for chicken rolls. Sigh. Grabbing Chloe, I walk back in to the very back while my milk sits in the roasting car and bring a few tubes to the checkout. After buying them, making my way back to the car and putting Chloe back in, I realize that we have no cream cheese that we need. I would have to go all the way back in and to the back of the store to pick some up.

So that's the story of why we had Hawaiian Haystacks last night instead.

Mothers

2011-05-09T12:56:00.005-06:00

I know this is a little late, but it still bears noting. And I think I put this up every single year, but that's because it really is that good. Please watch this.

Sorry for the horrible quality, but I still think it's the most awesome Mother's Day video ever.

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful wife Becky and to our fantastic mothers!

Summertime

2011-05-05T10:21:00.005-06:00

So, while absolutely everyone knows this, I have graduated! Yes, it's been that long since I've written. And let me tell you, being a graduate is stupendous. I could go on about the benefits of not having to set an alarm ever or the great plans for the future I have, but that would be a lie. You see, I still wake up early (I woke up yesterday at 10:30 and it was the latest I've slept in in a while. I went to bed at 6am) and I still am working at Target (hence the 6am bed time). To be honest, I have no immediate plans for the future. Not of my own design of course. I wasn't accepted into grad school and I haven't heard from any job I've applied for yet. It's been hard and disappointing, but we're making do right now.

So what, you may ask, am I doing to celebrate being graduated? What are my plans for the summer?

Well, I'm doing a lot of this:

And that is the most blissful thing I can think of.

(yes, that is me reading Chloe a video game magazine. By the time she's older, she'll know the top 200 video games of all time by heart. She loves those pictures)

Have a great day everyone

Sacrifices

2011-04-30T23:12:00.003-06:00

I think this is a funny story about how pathetic I am. But mostly, it is a story about how much I love my husband.

I worked Friday night. I got off work late because it snowed (2inches... really people?). When I got home both Chloe and Jameson were asleep (YAY!). Chloe had gotten up twice, but luckily both times were short lived. So I fell asleep around 7:10 to a sweet welcome home kiss from my sleepy husband.

At 8:20 Chloe woke up. I waited for a minute (okay, 30 seconds) to see if Jameson would go get her. Not even a twitch. So I got up, fed Chloe and listened for Jameson. Nothing. (In case you were wondering, this is when my wife-senses kicked in).

I knew he woke up with her twice and that he needs his sleep, so... I put Chloe on the floor for some tummy and back time, grabbed a blanket, pillow and my slippers (which I found and noisily put on in the bedroom) and curled up on the floor next to her.

9:00 rolls around and I hear something. I look up and there is a confused Jameson. I can only imagine the pathetic look on my face as he looked down at me, a curled up tired mess and a giggly Chloe. He came over, helped me up, led me by taking my hands, into the bedroom. All the while asking me why I didnt wake up. I babbled off my reasons 1. He got up with her twice 2. He needs sleep. To which he very logically informed me, I worked all night and had a baby shower in a few hours in Riverton...

It made sense to me! Letting him sleep... he is working so hard on school applications, job applications, taking care of Chloe and me. What is missing a few hours of sleep for a fabulous husband?

I love him. My logic is irrefutable.

Proud of my man

2011-04-23T02:30:00.005-06:00

JAMESON GRADUATED AND I AM SO PROUD OF HIM! He looked so good in his cap and gown :) And it was awesome to be in the stands cheering him on. During the walking portion the speaker had people stand up when he asked if something applied to them and one of them was if they had already started the "higher learning" of being a parent. It hasn't been easy for him to balance everything and he has just done it beautifully.

He has worked so hard! For those of you who dont know what my husband does on a daily basis, please, let me enlighten you.

7:15 wakes up to jog
7:45 reads scriptures
8:30 showers for school
9:30 first class
3 or 7 comes home from school
7-10 plays with Chloe and me
10:10pm leaves for work
4 or 6am gets home from work

Yeah... he is superman.

Jameson is the best friend I always hoped to have. And is becoming the father I always knew he could be. We've had a lot of ups and downs by way of Grad school and jobs and where to live and how to pay for food, but he has handled it all beautifully. He is constantly putting up with me, taking Chloe when I need a few 'Becky moments' and he still has the patience to help me come up with dinner ideas.

As I sat in the stands supporting him the last 2 days I've had several thoughts come to mind. The most prominent being how lucky I am to be married to such a hard working, dedicated, loving and spiritual man. He puts so much into his family, his spiritual growth and education. It really is inspiring how much he does and with such a good attitude. I come home from a jog and I'll find him on his knees in the bathroom cleaning the tub while trying to entertain Chloe. He surprises me with made-in-the-moment ballads on his guitar and keeps me laughing with songs about Chloe's diapers or bodily functions.

To my hero, best friend, snuggle buddy, eternal companion,

Congratulations!

Blessing Day

2011-04-18T11:46:00.004-06:00

Chloe's big blessing day has come and gone and it was amazing!

It started out a beautiful day. Chloe was giggling and smiling and took everything wonderfully! It started to snow just before we left and that is when things got a little crazy. We tried to drive to church but the road was blocked off because apparently the blue and white game was that day.

We got in the parking lot at 11am (when it was supposed to start). We reported to our room and kitchen but it turned out the bridal shower going on in there was going long and they were still using the kitchen. So I walked in and told them I needed the rooms because it was after 11 (which they didnt realize). They kept the room and shut the door but they did give up the kitchen. So that worked out.

Luckily everyone found a way into the church and we were all ready to bless the baby by 11:15. Chloe had felt the stress of us moving around and trying to find a new room so she was super fussy. I gave her to Jameson and they began the blessing. Chloe immediately stopped crying when Jameson began. He gave a very sweet short blessing. Blessed her with optimism, a quick smile, to have a testimony and the ability to be an example to those she meets as well as her family members. It was awesome!

We recruited everyone to set up tables that we covered with Chloe's quilts and covered those with plastic so they wouldn't spill on them. We had soup. Mama Ranck made taco soup and chili, Becky Hunter made a creamy chicken taco soup and we ordered Minestrone from Olive Garden ;) Jessica made cakeballs, we made cookies, Mama Ranck made cookies. It was very relaxed and we loved it!

It was a beautiful day and we missed having my siblings there but we loved having you all there in spirit.

Potentially embarrassing confession

2011-03-30T23:04:00.009-06:00

So you know when your children/nieces/nephews/'babysitees' see a new movie and suddenly it seems that is all your DVD player is playing? Whether you are in the room or not you hear it playing on the tv?

Well, Jameson bought me Tangled and you want to know how many times I've watched it since he bought it for me at 4 am? 4. Well, I'm on the fourth time. I don't know what it is about new movies but I just can't help myself. But as I've thought about why I do this today I have also realized it is only with Disney movies.

The most recent of these, Princess and the Frog. I think it is because I enjoy movies where I know I'll be happy watching it, good music, happy endings, funny one liners, good lesson/morals, goofy expressions... basically there are no downsides to Disney movies. Especially princess ones. You may disagree with me, that's cool too. I mean, I do like watching mysteries on tv but those are different. I cant watch the same episode time again because there is always more to see with the next episode. But movies aren't the same.

In the meantime, I suggest all of you watch something that makes you happy. Life is too short for miserable endings and guys that don't get the girl... and music-less-ness.

"The most difficult tickets to get will be for a Broadway musical"
"Okay"
"That means that the performers will periodically dance about and burst into song"

One crazy trip

2011-03-26T14:15:00.005-06:00

We're a little overdue with a post, so I hope this is a good one. We have good news after all: a wedding!

Tommy and Carly, some of our best friends, got married yesterday morning and it was fantastic. Of course, it was a little traumatic getting to the wedding, as we had an accident.

We left Thursday around noon to get to Rexburg. Carly was receiving her endowment at 5:30 and we wanted to get there with plenty of time to go through with her. Becky was super excited as she LOVES the Rexburg temple and has not been able to do a session there yet. So off we went!

Around 3:30 we were 30 miles out of Pocatello and we had passed all the snow on the ground, but it had just started to rain/hail. All of a sudden, the front of the car started moving to the side of the road. Thinking I was just drifting a bit, I corrected my wheel to realize: I was not in control of a car moving at 80 mph with my wife and child inside.

Luckily there was no metal railing. We went off into the gravel and slid while the car spun completely around (360 degrees here)and stopped just off the shoulder of the oncoming freeway. Luckily the car didn't roll and shook very little, and we were all okay (just very shaken). Chloe, the person we worried about the most, was of course the best off as she slept through the entire ordeal (including Becky's scream!) and was strapped down tight.

Well, the tire popped off the bead and the metal was on the ground, so we drove to the shoulder and I figured out where the spare and jack were. A man stopped to help and was very kind, even giving me a pair of gloves to use. Turns out! Our spare was flat as well. A policeman came to the scene and actually drove to the nearest town and filled up our spare and brought it back. He refrained from giving me a ticket saying he appreciated that I was honest with him when I told him what happened. We got in the car and drove slowly to Pocatello, where they told us that the tire had no punctures or tears and was actually still full of air, just popped off the bead. They pulled rocks out from between our other tires and rims and put the tire back on free of charge while the women inside doted on Chloe. We thanked them and were off to Rexburg; leaving around 5:15.

While we missed the session, we were so blessed during that ride. Becky's mom had put our names in the temple the day before and we prayed for safety before we left and our prayers were so obviously answered that it's incredible. Every time I think about it, I can't believe how much we were looked after and am so grateful for it. There have been more blessings than we can count, and I know that God truly does look after His children.

We made it to Rexburg and were surprised with more blessings. We spent some time with old friends from WA, and it was late before we finally were going to the home we were going to stay at in Rigby. Bro. White, the father of the bride, a good friend of Becky's dad and an amazing person was kind enough to get us a hotel room so we wouldn't have to do any more driving that night. We crashed.

The next day was the wedding. It was beautiful! And simple and just a good spiritual time. I always like to watch the parents rather than the couple during sealings. I think it's much more impressive and moving.

We took pictures in freezing wind and snow and then had a great lunch. I was able to spend a lot of time with my old friend Alex on the trip and that was great, and seeing the newlyweds was fantastic as well. After some errands and visits, we caravaned back home with Alex's parents and made it home very late but in one piece. The Bushes were kind enough to be patient with Becky feeding Chloe and putting up with my new found paranoia, and now we're home safe and sound.

Anyway, I have learned three things this short trip: be grateful for your family every second, old friendships are more than worth renewing, and God is watching us all and will take care of us.

God bless you all, especially the happy newlyweds.

Getting so big!

2011-03-12T17:05:00.003-07:00

The first video is of Chloe when she first started Tummy time at 2 weeks old. Apparently my video camera doesn't record when the video was taken. Well, it does. But it says it was taken January 18th 1957...Yeah...But I know it was the first time. My money is on Feb 4th the day of the appointment.

This second video is Chloe TODAY! She has gotten a lot better at holding her head up and she just started smiling this week :)

Please ignore the silly goading of my voice :P

Photoshoot

2011-03-09T21:32:00.007-07:00

Lissa Chandler, a talented friend, took pictures of Chloe as a gift. Obviously, it is quite impossible to pick favorites of such a sweet baby. What is even more difficult is narrowing them down. So I made my best attempt to be unbiased and pick from them the best I can.

Chloe has been making leaps and bounds! Saturday night she slept ALL night in her crib. Now if she sleeps 6 hours in a row I call it "all night" even if it from 9 to 3. It is still a solid 6 hours. She has begun to smile on purpose :) Which makes us smile! She has always smiled in her sleep or half smiled or randomly but she has learned to control it sometimes. She instantly had a hold on our hearts the moment we knew she was coming and continues to strengthen it every moment of every day. Not hard to see how :)

Big news

2011-03-04T10:28:00.007-07:00

So a couple weeks ago I went into the advisement center with a purpose: I was going to drop my minor and try to graduate early. I deliberated about this decision for a long time; I didn't know if I would regret it. My original plan was to finish my major this semester and then go straight through spring semester finishing up my minor and graduating in August to go on to grad school (hopefully). I decided this was way too busy for me; I would burn myself out before I even got to grad school! I wasn't sure however if I really would regret dropping my minor; after all I only had three more classes to go to finish it. But then I figured, hey when I have a PhD, nobody will care what I minored in for my B.S.

So. I had originally went in about three weeks ago and scheduled an appointment with the adviser for the next Tuesday when I would already be on campus. Lo and behold, come Tuesday morning there was an emergency and she had to get called out of the office so I had to reschedule. Thursday it was. Of course, I get a call Thursday morning as well saying there was another emergency and she wouldn't be in that day either and they asked to reschedule again. Honestly? I'm not sure what emergencies school counselors have that would require them to leave.

I decided to go into the office again and yell at (talk) to the people because I needed to know pretty soon whether or not I could work all of this out. Turns out I didn't need to meet with her after all! I just had to fill out a petition and turn it in. They said it wasn't a guarantee but pretty much nobody gets turned down from it. Sweet.

I wait the requisite week for my petition to be processed and I get back online. My minor was dropped! But I was still slated for an August graduation. Weird. I waited another four or five days and it stayed the same, so I went in again accompanied by Becky and Chloe. The receptionist disappears for about five minutes and comes back saying, "it's a good thing you came in. It was processed and approved but nobody made the changes in the system."

I'm so impressed with this office.

But the news! I'm done with my undergrad in somewhere around six weeks! I am excited. I'll graduate in April, spend the summer working and spending time with my wife and daughter. And it will be fantastic.

Anyway, it's the weekend! So here's your weekend playlist. It rained the first good rainstorm in a while yesterday and so I whipped up a bunch of songs that are perfect to play in the rain. Here you go:

1. Duffy - Warwick Avenue. Fantastic song and voice, but I have a hard time loving all of her stuff.
2. Breaking Benjamin - Rain. One of the most chill songs I know from a band that most wouldn't consider chill. Or listen to around parents.
3. Brandston - Parallels. Too bad there's no video for this because this is one of my favorite indie bands
4. Ben Folds - Carrying Cathy because nobody can have a chill playlist without Ben Folds.
5. Death Cab For Cutie - Soul Meets Body. Um, duh. Video starts at 30 seconds sorry.
6. OK Go - 1000 Miles Per Hour I used to listen to this song literally every day
7. Colbie Caillat - The Little Things. She's pretty too.
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Zephyr Song. I hope you know this song
9. Mana - Bendita Tu Luz. This is my favorite Spanish band of all time. I think they're...Mexican? Not sure.
10. Finger Eleven - One Thing. Much better than their old name. Trust me.
11. Waking Ashland - October Skies. One of my favorite bands of all time, and it's too bad this is the acoustic version.
12. Simon And Garfunkel - The Boxer. Need I say more?
13. Jack's Mannequin - Annie Use Your Telescope.

Whelp, there you go. Off for a walk with Becky and Chloe!

Heart Attack

2011-03-01T09:24:00.002-07:00

Last night was a rough night for me. I have been having problems getting Chloe down. She'll fall asleep for 10 minutes and wake up because she has to poop. Then an hour later she'll fall asleep but wake up 10 minutes later. And it goes like this from when Jameson leaves (10pm) until about 1:30.

I think she understood me cause I was trying to get her sleepy again when I started to get the clenched throat 'i'm gonna cry' sound and told her very frankly that if she did not go to sleep this time around I couldn't do it anymore. I would leave her in her crib to cry for a while because I was too exhausted and my back hurt too much to continue this charade.

She slept.

Which, ironically enough is when my heart attack night started. You see, I've noticed that Chloe takes better EVERYTHINGS in her crib. But I've loved having someone in the room with me again every night and I am scared to death that when she sleeps in her crib that I'll go check on her and she'll be dead. So last night I sucked it up and did what I knew was right. I put her in her crib.

I went in to check on her this morning and she is safe! She didnt sleep through the night. She woke up once for a period of 20 minutes to eat. But she is still sleeping right now :) (9:30am) and I am very pleased! So pleased in fact that I am going back to bed!

Op....

She woke up.

Midterms

2011-02-25T09:20:00.004-07:00

So I have officially received the full college experience. That's right, yesterday I failed my first exam. I was surprised, annoyed, and frankly quite disappointed. I then realized that I need to get into grad school this go around if I want to keep the GPA I sent them. And then I took a nap.

Anyway, I'm not going to say it was a party, but I wasn't super depressed. Becky surprised me with some amazing dinner and made some caramel corn per my request and then as she was praying she said thanks that I had "received [my] full college experience and failed an exam."

I think she was just glad that my ego was knocked down.

The best there's ever been

2011-02-21T15:03:00.003-07:00

So last night around 5 AM I was talking to my friend Eric at work about ways to make money so I wouldn't have to work at Target anymore.

"So...I'll get a violin and pretend that I can't play very well. The devil, who will be fooled, will come and make a wager. I'll then play to my full ability and beat him in his own game, upon which I'll receive a golden fiddle. I'll be able to sell it and never have to work again!"

"You're going to pretend you can't play the fiddle?"

"Yeah. To lure the devil into a false sense of security."

"Your plan is to lure the devil into a false sense of security."

"That's right."

"Best. Plan. Ever."

One month!

2011-02-19T15:54:00.003-07:00

Well it's been almost two weeks! The longer I don't blog, the less I seem to have to say. It's weird, but anyway.

Things here are excellent. Chloe is a month old today! She seems so big already. She's almost outgrowing her newborn clothes. Maybe? I don't know. They're getting smaller on her. She's actually sleeping on my chest right now...so adorable.

So Nik and Niki had their baby yesterday...Zoey Cecelia. Congratulations to them! I remember how it felt...those first days were a blur.

I love my life. It's insanely stressful...I took three midterms this week and I have another next week. But I just requested to graduate in April and drop my minor! We'll see how that works. I really hope it pulls through.

Anyway. I don't have much to say. I'll start updating more often and maybe I'll write better in the future. I hope you all have a great day!

Asking Miss Chloe

2011-02-07T12:46:00.003-07:00

Last night I asked Chloe a lot of things.

Why are you awake right now?
Why did you wake up if you aren't hungry?
Why are you suddenly eating longer?
Why are you spitting up everything you've eaten?
Why did you just blow out of your diaper immediately after I changed you?
Why aren't you falling back asleep?

To this last question, I asked her several times. I bounced her, rocked her, walked her, cuddled her, fed her, played her Norah Jones, etc.

Her answer? I set her down to readjust my sitting position, 10 seconds later I look at her face and realize she is falling asleep. All I had to do was let her lie down.

I'm game!

She is so much fun! She has this blue steel kiss face that I haven't been able to catch on film yet that is too cute for words! And you can always tell when she is trying to poop cause she gets really serious and her eyes get all shifty. As if to say to any onlooker: "What!? I'm not doing anything!"

And best of all? She sleep talks :)

Business as usual

2011-02-04T17:43:00.002-07:00

So having a daughter is probably the most incredible thing in the world. It's been a very interesting time the past couple weeks. Becky's mom was here until Wednesday and that was SO helpful. She is amazing. Thank you!

Chloe is doing great! We had her two week appointment today and everything is normal. She has started tummy time today and almost flips up on her side already. She is not a fan of being on her tummy and this girl is going to be trouble soon haha. She is the cutest thing ever.

So can I tell you how hard it was to get motivated to do anything productive this week? After having a baby and taking care of her and Becky I did not want to go to school or work. I got over it and I'm doing great now, but still. It was tough.

Sorry this is so discombobulated; it's been an interesting day. I just wanted to get something up so you have at least something to read. Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend.

I'm a dad

2011-01-30T11:00:00.006-07:00

So can I just say how perfect this little girl is? She is fantastic.

Being a father is crazy. Unlike anything I've experienced before and anything I could have imagined. This girl has totally gotten me wrapped around her hand (her finger isn't big enough yet) and her mother even more so. She's been great. She sleeps a lot and right now only wakes up two or three times at night. Becky has been a champ even though she has had some crazy afterbirth pains. It has been a huge help to have her mother here; she is an amazing woman. Life has been fantastic.

So it is difficult getting back into the swing of things. I am having the hardest time desiring to be productive again. Going back to work was tough but doable, but school has just lost almost all appeal. I'm slowly getting back into it, but I'm afraid I didn't top the charts on the three midterms I had this week. Oh well. I'm working on it and I'm getting there.

Anyway. Just wanted more of a chance to show off my beautiful daughter. It's okay to be jealous.

Our new addition

2011-01-24T05:25:00.003-07:00

Well, as many of you may know, we have recently had a new addition to our wonderful family! Meet Chloe Elizabeth:

She is beautiful. Born Jan. 19, 2011; 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long. She has completely won the heart of her mother and me.

Anyway. We have brought her home and she has been doing wonderfully! Eating well (all the time) and she is sleeping a lot at night. Becky is exhausted of course but is holding up like a champ. She's a fighter. And I'm doing whatever I can to help. So, just letting you know that we are now in possession of the most beautiful girl under 22. Be jealous :)

And sorry the cutest picture is upside down. I really don't know how to fix it.

First 5 minutes

2011-01-16T04:41:00.002-07:00

As the baby gets closer to coming you can feel the energy level in our home going up. It bounces back and forth between anxiety, nervousness, excitement, fear, wonder, etc. We cant wait for our baby girl to join our family!

Ever since we found out we were having a baby, and even more since finding out we're having a girl I've had random moments of serious reflection on what this will mean for us as individuals and as a couple. I've done a lot of thinking about what kind of songs we'll sing for her and I've made an effort to write to her in a journal and talk to her. But what strikes me most are the songs.

Jameson and I have been wanting to have the classic songs like childrens hymns. But also some more unique ones. Granted, the song I am going to share with you isn't all that unique. But it is the one that touches me the most right now. This is more... a song for Jameson and Chloe. But that is what makes is special to me. Because I've been putting a lot of thought into how I want her first few minutes of life to go. I know a lot of it is beyond my control and there are things that could happen to change it. But the most exciting thing for me, honestly, is picturing me handing the baby to him saying "Congratulations, you're a Daddy!"

Deep Thoughts

2011-01-13T03:41:00.003-07:00

I figured I would give you all the absolute pleasure of gaining some insight into my brain. Here are some thoughts that I've had at various points of the day. Be careful, as you're starting into uncharted territory.

-I should blog more.

-You know, you were a lot funnier last time I came to your class.

-Come to think of it, shotguns would be incredibly inefficient weapons of war.

-This is anti-cellulite lotion!?

-Tuna!? Why do I always get disgusting things all over me whenever I come to this store? Why can't they shatter a case of vanilla or something?

-Oops, I definitely should have bought the caffeine.

-4 hours until I have to wake up and counting. Just makes me all warm inside.

-Nathan Fillion started out in a soap opera!?

-I would rather have it cold than snowy. Sigh.

-Flight of the Conchords has made me laugh for like 75% of the time. That's a lot of LPM's (laughs per minute).

-I bet all these people think I'm crazy because I've just been laughing this whole time.

-I wonder if other people have conversations in their heads like this.

Well, there you go. There is a reason that they don't make movies out of my life let's just say. And now you'll all never ask what I'm thinking again!

Dragging feet

2011-01-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Really quick. Becky was just lamenting the fact that nothing has changed with the pregnancy yet and asked, "WHY does she have to drag her feet?"

I said, "She gets it from her mom."

"And her dad!"

"What?"

"Neither of us have done dishes." (pout)

Fit...ness...?

2011-01-09T18:32:00.004-07:00

So we got a Wii Fit for Christmas. And let me tell you one thing: fantastic. I had always thought they were kind of...different before I got one, but I am actually really enjoying it. Did you know you can make a profile for your pet? Yeah I'm not certain why either. But you most definitely can.

So we booted it up for the first time and I was doing my first body test and everything and it turns out my posture sucks which came as no surprise to me. I naturally put almost all of my weight on my left leg. It's actually slightly...shorter? I think shorter. Maybe longer. Than my other leg. We think it's because my babysitter may or may not have pretty much run over my leg when I was a baby. I can tell you that story later if you want. Better yet, ask my parents. I don't think it's too big of a story though.

So. My posture is awful. So I did that body test and everything and it gave me my Wii Fit age: 34. What? So it tests my balance and I lose eleven years of my life. Anyway. It's been a really fun thing to do, and I have been faithfully doing yoga and other stuff for 30 minutes a day and so far I've lost one to three pounds. I can't really remember exactly what but it's somewhere in that range. Pretty cool huh?

School has started. I have finally gotten a schedule that I am loving so far. Who knows, maybe I'll hate it in a month. But all of my classes are on Tuesday and Thursday, with one night class on Wednesday. I have to wake up early Tuesday and Thursday...like 7:45 early. Which means between two and three and a half hours of sleep those nights which makes some classes fun, but it's good. I have the weekend to do all of my homework (and it takes about that long to do it all too). I'm taking five 300 level Psych classes this semester - Intro to Social Psych, Personality, Child Psychopathology, Cognition, and LDS Perspectives and Psychology. So we'll see how it all works out!

The pregnancy is coming along nicely. Becky's having a rough time and only sleeping about three hours at a time so she's up most of the night, but she's a fighter. She's making it through. Soon we'll be looking back at pregnancy instead of staring it in the face.

I hope you all are having a fantastic day!

Repenting

2011-01-07T23:27:00.002-07:00

Most of my blogs lately have been rather negative. Consider this next sentence my public apology:

I'm sorry I've been complaining about the bad things of pregnancy instead of talking up the positive.

There. I said it. Not to mention, there are good things too. It is fun to grab Jameson's hand really quickly and push it on my belly so he can feel her move too. It is fun to feel her move. It is fun to sing to her at night. It is fun to arrange her room. It is fun to guess when she'll come. It is fun to take pictures and have people say I'm cute pregnant.

Honestly, there are good things to it. And I shouldn't complain like I have. Especially to Jameson. You'd think I was being asked to do something horrible. But really, what better calling could I have than to bring this baby into the world? And I consider myself incredibly blessed to have such a sweet, understanding man by my side constantly supporting me and trying to make me more comfortable. He truly is an amazing man and I could not have asked for a more wonderful life partner.

Thank you Jameson for putting up with my whining. Thank you for cuddling with me in your sleep because some sixth sense of yours knows I'm crying. Thank you for putting me down for naps and singing to me. Thank you for helping me with dishes and singing while you do them :) Thank you for letting me unload on you. Thank you for loving me through this. I never could have gotten through this pregnancy without you. And thank you for trusting me enough to be the mother of your child(ren).

Dear friend, I miss you.

2011-01-05T11:19:00.002-07:00

It has been a while since sleep and I kept good company. I've always been told that sleep leaves once you start having children. I think this statement needs to be revised to something like: sleep leaves once you become pregnant. Yup. That about covers it.

I haven't slept more than 3 hours at a time since last Thursday. Not that there are those that have it worse or are sicker or having a harder time, etc. But for me, that is really difficult. I wouldn't be surprised if this sore throat I have is a mono-flare up. Oh heaven help this little girl.

Last night however there was a turn of events. I decided to try a bath. To this point I have tried herbal teas, tv shows, reading, lying in bed, music, white noise of a humidifier... yeah. I've rounded the bases. I started to get sleepy in the tub and put my book down. Next thing I know, I wake up because my head is craned and I'm still in the tub. So I JUMP up, dry off and launch into my bed hoping that sleep will stay with me. I was just snuggling down into my bed when I remembered something.

I have 3 chicken breasts thawing in the sink from the dinner I never made. Oops. So, I begrudgingly book it to the kitchen, take care of it the first way I can think of and hop back into bed. 3 hours later, I woke up. But, they were a SOLID 3 hours :) Then Jameson got home a bit later and I was able to sleep all over again for 3 hours.

Sleep, you made elude me most of the time, but I appreciate our brief reunion last night.

Thoughts

2010-12-28T20:46:00.003-07:00

So Christmas has come and gone! I actually had a fantastic Christmas this year. Becky and I had a very nice time together. I'm not going to go on about what we got or anything, so you don't have to worry. Becky worked both Christmas eve and Christmas day overnight, so she spent much of the time sleeping which I am very grateful for. I went to bed around midnight because I wasn't feeling well on Christmas eve and woke up about six to try and have breakfast ready by the time she got home. And I almost did! Go me. I am going to share some random thoughts and experiences I've had recently. So here goes!

I have never before realized how hard it is to shop for a girl. Last year she had given me some pretty specific advice or at least heavy hints. This year? She said a bathrobe and slippers and left the rest up to me. It was hard! Lucky for me I had some people willing to help out, so thank you to the both of you who helped :)

Speaking of getting Becky presents, I was at Sephora in JC Penny getting her some Bareminerals makeup she had run out of and this girl was helping me with this huge rock on her ring finger. She was being very friendly and everything and when she found out it was a Christmas present to Becky she got super excited and asked me what else I was getting for her. I said "well she asked for a bathrobe...some slippers..."and she was giving me the look that is familiar to so many, the look of a slightly turned up nose, thinking "I am so glad I'm not married to you." I have rarely felt that stupid, and so I trailed off but not before I said "a necklace." She suddenly lit up and said "you should get one from Tiffany's!" "Uhm..?" "Yeah they're on super sale right now; I was on their website today. They're only 100 dollars!" "...yeah, I'll look into that." She had a look that she just saved Christmas, handed me the bag and I walked away. I didn't know how to tell her that we had set ourselves on a limit that those necklaces would have far exceeded at this point in time.

I got Becky some tenth anniversary Les Miserables concert DVD with the original Jean Val Jean and we watched it Christmas day. I figured since she watched one of her favorite musicals that I should do the same. So I watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog when she went to work. I loved every second.

Anyway, I'm going to try to take a half hour nap before work. I would write more, but I'm pretty tired. So I'll leave you with an opening song from Dr. Horrible, which you can listen to here. Have a great day and enjoy!

Perspective

2010-12-22T17:29:00.002-07:00

There are few things more subjective in this world than perspective. Everyone has one and they're all different.

It's from my experience that nearly all arguments, fights, disagreements, jealousies, etc. come from a difference in perspective. Of course they don't just stem from said difference; I guess it would be more of a combination of a hard head, a difference in perspective, and an unwillingness to see the other side. Still.

The reason this all came up is that as I was doing research on the University of Nebraska and reading publications from one of the professors that does the research I'm interested in and I found an article on neutrality, which is basically being open to multiple viewpoints, and the feminist viewpoint. Anyway I'm not going to summarize it because that would only be interesting to me and probably Ken, but still. It's one of my favorite publications.

Anyway. Perspectives.

Life's funny. What some people see as a family heirloom, another sees as junk. Someone sees breakfast, another sees the virgin Mary and a sign from God.

Someone like me sees Christmas break as a time of relaxation and laziness, someone like Becky sees it as a time for me to do all my grad school applications.

Guess who won?

No, it's been a good thing to finally buckle down to do it. Once they're done it will be great and one less thing to worry about. I'm actually pretty excited for it. Now if only I could find a third person to write my letter of recommendation...

Speaking of perspectives, remember that movie Blank Check? I thought it was so cool as a kid. I mean he outsmarted those criminals and everything! But now that I think about it, I think I've changed my mind. The only reason you're rooting for this kid is because the guy he stole 1 million dollars from is a criminal. Think about it. If you had the same movie but the guy who hit him and broke his bike was an absentminded father who had saved every penny he'd earned so his kids could go to college and suddenly had nothing, you would have a very different story indeed. When we first saw that movie, my dad said it was just about a little thief.

Smart guy.

You can blame me

2010-12-20T18:21:00.002-07:00

It is snowing. Has been all day. This morning when we walked out there were about 3 inches on the car. I decided to not be an invalid and help clear off the car. I leaned in, put my stuff down and grabbed a snowbrush for both of us. I decided it'd help to turn the car on to heat up. So, I turned on the car.

Next thing I know there is snow falling all around me! On top, on the seat, in the window buttons, on the floor. I thought Jameson was just being funny! Well, on the one hand he was being funny. But not in the purposeful way. He was funny because he left the windshield wipers on when he got home last night.

We got a kick out of trying to clean out the car and sent a couple of prayers that there would be no water damage to any wires exposed to it.

Jameson laughed saying it was my fault... Umm... my fault? WHO was the last to use the car? WHO didn't turn off the windshield wipers? WHO WHO WHO indeed! Jameson said I could blame him for it. And.... I do.

But in a loving way.

I lovingly blame you Jameson :)

Movies

2010-12-14T11:13:00.002-07:00

I used to someone who you could just sit down and watch movies with. Happily. Quietly. I used to be silent and enjoy them and it was great. I was proud of that person.

That person is now foreign to me.

Somewhere within the past year and a half-ish of marriage, I have lost that ability. I'm not certain why. Maybe it's because Becky has talked through every TV show that I like, maybe it's just for no reason. But I have come to confess: I am now a talker. Well, I guess I should give some explanations: I won't talk in the movie theater. And I won't talk usually if it's the first time that everyone has seen it. And I also usually won't talk in a group of people. But man, when it's just Becky and I, I'm sitting there asking questions and making speculations and that sweet wife of mine puts up with it the whole time without saying anything.

Case in point: we watched P.S. I Love You last night. Becky was really excited when I got it for her and she has been wanting to show it to me for two weeks or so and so we watched it last night. Guess who was talking?

"Phoebe's in this movie!?"
"So wait, is he dead?"
"Oh so he's not really dead."
"Oh he's really dead."
"Wait I thought he was dead."
"Why doesn't she just get with the guy from the Losers? (this is Gerry's Irish friend, just fyi)"
"So are they married in this flashback?"

You get the picture. I'm sure it drives her nuts, but she's a good sport. She'll even smile when I realize and say "okay I'll shut up sorry" but mostly probably because she knows I'll only last ten minutes.

By the way, I've apparently made her day because I own the song Fairytale of New York (the song that they play at his funeral). I've owned it since High School and have listened to it, oh, maybe three times.

Anyone want to come watch a movie?

Reason #68 I love Jameson

2010-12-02T23:04:00.006-07:00

Tonight we were running a little late to get Jameson to class so we decided I'd drop him off on my way to the grocery store. I thought we were taking off, but I look behind me and realize Jameson isn't there.

He is back in the baby's room. So I venture in to see what he is doing. He is rummaging through his Darth Vader head-shaped box(?) full of mini action figures from when the movies originally came out. I asked him if he needed it for class. He said no, but that he needed it to help him stay awake. *confused look on my face*

Then he pulls put two versions of the Millennium Falcon asking which he should take. Then he said he would take a star destroyer or something but that it is too slow. Then... and here is reason #68... he proceeds to make "flying" and "shooting" sounds with the figures he chose. All the way out the door he could be heard whooshing and popping and braking.

He flew it out the door. He flew it at the 'alien mothership' (me). He shot bad guys. He flew around the dash of the car. It was probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen him do. And it reminded me of one of the many reasons that I love my husband. He never ceases to be amused, he takes joy in little things, he is a child at heart and he isn't afraid to laugh at himself or be laughed at.

#68: I love that Jameson still plays with his childhood toys with the enthusiasm he had when he first received them.

My Life: The Movie

2010-12-01T20:23:00.002-07:00

So for some reason, on separate occasions the people I have lived with have talked about movies of our lives and which actors would play us. The biggest conversation was when I was single and my roommate filled out this whole sheet of who would play whom. Anyway, I've thought about it a bit and realized that not only would my life be an incredibly boring movie, but there would be no actors that could adequately play my part. My wife and roommate, however, beg to differ.

Tiny told me that I would be played by Ray Romano. Now, while at first I was slightly perturbed I can see the sense in that. Monotonous slightly nasaly voice, awkward, kind of funny looking and thinking that you're far funnier than you actually are? Yeah.

Want an example? Okay.

Becky, on the other hand, says that my life would be played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. For those of you who remember, yes it is the same kid from 10 Things I Hate About You and 3rd Rock From The Sun.

Want to watch some of him? Here you go.

While it mystifies me a little more, I can see who loves me.

Curse turned Blessing

2010-11-29T21:38:00.003-07:00

Sunday night Jameson and I decided to decorate our tree. We bought two strands of 140 lights. We got mostly up the tree when we realized that perhaps, we did not have enough lights! So we stopped decorating and decided to wait until we got another strand. We just sat back with the lights off looking at the tree.

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. I got all teary eyed and lost it. The last several months I've been blaming hormones and hating them and driving myself crazy with how emotional I've been. But last night sitting there I learned to be grateful for it. I realized how I might have missed that perfect moment of sitting there having Jameson hold me, looking at the tree and having the most overwhelming feeling of love, happiness and perfection in my life. So, I guess I really am grateful for my heightened state of emotion.

Christmas Playlist pt 2

2010-11-27T11:47:00.002-07:00

So! This is the second Christmas playlist (duh Jameson, we get it) and these songs are...a little less traditional. I can't guarantee that anyone will like these or not, but I enjoy listening to them all the same and thought I would share!

There are also some songs I enjoy that I hesitate to put on this blog, but if you would like some of those just let me know. They aren't dirty or anything, just even less traditional than these.

Here we go!

1. Fun. - Believe In Me

2. Relient K - 12 Days Of Christmas

3. Blondie - We Three Kings

(Check out that video! It reminds me of the Motley Crue reunion)

4. Fall Out Boy - What's This?

5. Gatsby's American Dream - Christmastime Is Here

6. Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today

7. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - This Time Of Year

8. The Beautiful Mistake - A Cradle In Bethlehem
I couldn't find a video, but it's about two thirds of the way down this page. This also may be one of my favorite Christmas songs. Just saying.

9. Relient K - Santa Claus Is Thumbing To Town
I apologize for you having to bear with what may be the stupidest video I've seen.

10. Bob Dylan - Must Be Santa

Apparently Bob can throw quite the Christmas party

11. Sean Bones - If You Hear A Knock
No video, but here's the audio.

12. Nerf Herder - Santa's Got A Mullet

Well that's that. Like I said, non-traditional Christmas music. I hope at least someone likes at least one song though. Hope you have a good weekend!

Christmas Playlist

2010-11-23T20:33:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone! So since this is the week that I *officially* endorse listening to Christmas music (don't ask about unofficially...) I figured I would make a few posts concerning the sounds of the holidays. I'll start off today with a traditional playlist, then I'll post my playlist of songs that...may not be so traditional, and then I'll post a judgmental post about some songs that are played on the radio. So here we go!

Jameson's 2010 Traditional Christmas Playlist

1. Boston Pops Orchestra (Narrated by Robin Williams) - A Visit From Saint Nicholas

2. Nellie McKay - The Christmas Waltz
There's no video for this, but you can listen to it here.

3. Barenaked Ladies - I Saw Three Ships

Sorry for the awful video

4. Findlay Brown - Last Christmas

5. John Denver & The Muppets - Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913

6. Mannheim Steamroller - Away In A Manger

7. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmastime Is Here

8. Relient K - Silent Night/Away In A Manger
No video again, but audio can be found here. It was way hard to find, too.

9. Relient K - I Celebrate The Day

10. Barenaked Ladies feat. Michael Buble - Elf's Lament

11. Darius Rucker - Candy Cane Christmas

12. Vince Guaraldi Trio - O Tannenbaum

13. Barenaked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings

14. Bright Eyes - Blue Christmas

15. The Red West - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
And once again, no video. The audio can be found here, just click on the top song.

16. John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

17. Jars Of Clay - Little Drummer Boy

18. Matthew West - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Well that's that! If you were to believe that this took a very long time, you would be underestimating it. But I'm pleased with it.

If you don't like the songs, well don't listen to them.

Happy listening!

GRE

2010-11-20T11:25:00.004-07:00

So I took the GRE yesterday, and I have to say I am incredibly pleasantly surprised at how I did! I've been studying at least an hour a day for two weeks or so, with off and on studying before that. It's been an incredibly stressful time, especially considering how (un)well I did on the practice tests I took beforehand. The night before I took the test (that would be Thursday) I decided to take another practice test to kind of gear up toward the test. I took a full portion of the Verbal section, and then checked my score and pretty much had a panic attack. Let's just say...I did not do as well as I thought (which is saying something). Becky made me put down the book before she went to work, telling me that I was doing more harm than good stressing out about it. So what did I do? I played some James Bond until 1 AM and then went to bed (nothing blows stress like sneaking around and killing bad guys, right?)

Well, after getting home, eating a quick lunch, scribbling down the four schools I was sending my scores to and getting directions, I skidaddled (points for using that word in a sentence) and almost was late and finally got there. I got a drink, bathroom break to make sure, then surrendered everything in my pockets (even my chapstick? REALLY folks?) and had to pee again right when I sat down at my computer. Three and a bit hours later (I took a break to take care of the emergency about an hour in) I got my scores and was very pleased. I went a little conservative on the schools I sent my scores to: one in Maryland, one in Pennsylvania, one in New Mexico and one in Colorado (I can hear Bard cheering in the background while Bonnie cries). After a dinner at Red Robin we had a good evening watching The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which I would have a hard time really recommending. It was a great night though :)

So I don't know what the etiquette of sharing scores is...I'm not embarrassed nor ecstatic, however it seems nobody ever shares. So...I guess if you want to know I'll tell you?

Anyway. It's a load off of my shoulders and I get to relax in between writing my papers and doing my reading.

Speaking of reading, that's something I wish I had more time to do. Between school and work, I really don't have much free time, and since I read so much for school I find it difficult to want to read during my free time. I wish I had a few more books under my belt, however. The last book I read for fun was possibly The Five People You Meet In Heaven, which was slightly disappointing especially after Tuesdays With Morrie. I have so many books I want to read. For example:
The Harry Potter series again
Through The Looking Glass and all that Alice In Wonderland jazz...I bought the book a few years ago and still haven't read it. I've been meaning to.
The Hunger Games, since everyone I know has recommended it.
The Lord of the Rings - I read this series in high school (my dad wouldn't let me see the movies without having done so) and The Hobbit on our honeymoon, and I've been meaning to go back and reread them.
Heat Wave and Naked Heat - I've never been too into murder mystery books, but come on. With an idea loosely based on the show Castle (which you should watch right now if you haven't), written by James Patterson (so many people think) and sporting a protagonist with my name? What could be better?

Anyway. Just some ideas. Hopefully I'll knock one out during Christmas break at least. Maybe two. Depends on if I get a game for Christmas...

Have a great weekend everyone. Celebrate the small victories.

Who needs all five senses?

2010-11-17T03:52:00.003-07:00

Last week, everyone's cars iced over while I was at work. Fun, huh? It was freezing (obviously) and there was a thick layer caked over the windows. Like, white layer. You can't see through it at all. It's always a pleasant surprise coming out of work to that.

Anyway, I left after most of the others and was doing my routine of turning the heat on full blast while I worked my way scraping ice off of every window (starting with the back for some reason) when a very outspoken female coworker came out. She sees me and says, "why scrape your windows? Who needs to see?" I laughed politely, thinking she was just joking, and wished I was at home in bed. Then she just jumped in the car, turned the ignition, and drove off.

She either has X-ray vision, is a vampire, or just doesn't care. In any case, I knew there was a reason I keep my distance.

A BILLION TRILLION dollars

2010-11-15T11:38:00.003-07:00

Jameson's funny for this morning:

This morning Jameson was singing "All I Want for Christmas is You"... only instead of "you" he said "a billion trillion dollars!" (Yeah. I am high on his priority list). He then proceeded to explain to me how if someone were to give him that, he wouldn't say no.

Apparently I wasn't getting it. Because he had to explain to me how much money this exactly was. I asked how many zeros it had and he said he didn't know. But he explained to me how much a billion is. Then how much more it was to have a billion of trillions. "You could like... build 8 temples with that! AND... you could BUY CHRISTMAS!"

I, being the practical one, told him that you cannot buy Christmas.

He just was in awe of this idea of having a billion trillion dollars. He said "There is no way you could ever spend that much money!" "You'd be surprised," I said. "If you build 8 temples and Christmas, you'd make a dent."

But let it be written, for Christmas, Jameson wants a BILLION-----TRILLION----DOLLARS!

Literature

2010-11-13T10:40:00.005-07:00

I am an English minor. I know right? Who in their right mind would take a reading-intensive major like Psychology and combine it with a reading-intensive minor like English? Me, that's who. The me before I realized how many hundreds of pages I have to read a week that is. I could have chosen basket weaving, or maybe some sort of film minor. Or bowling. Do they have a bowling minor? I don't know, but I imagine I would do well at that. Not because I'm a great bowler, but I am consistent.

Speaking of consistency, while I have not been getting as good grades this semester (I'm sitting at about half B's and half A's) I have been extremely consistent. All of my tests, assignments, and papers are within about a five point range within each class. Impressive? I think so too sometimes.

Anyway.

I am an English minor. As such, I have heard all about the different theories of a certain book called Huckleberry Finn, which I have read probably only once because apparently when you get out of Junior High and High School everyone has a problem with that book. Along with these theories, I have heard many professors say, and read many articles write, the n word. They say it in academic settings, so I have never felt the slightest bit uncomfortable (of course, with serving a mission in Cleveland I've becomes so inundated to the word that it doesn't make me uncomfortable anyway, but that's another story).

That's a lot of background for a little story.

I was sitting in my world lit class and my professor was talking about how 1001 Nights is banned in much of India for some reason I can't quite remember. Then he asked, "does anyone know what the most banned book is?" This was followed by a silence accompanied by 30 blank faces, and he answered "Huckleberry Finn." A girl to my right exclaimed, quite loudly, "WHY?" To which I turned and said, quite succinctly, "it says n***** a lot."

Note, while I did speak without thinking, I meant no offense or harm, and I'm glad none was taken.

A stunned silence, lots of laughter, and a slightly exasperated and amused look from my teacher later, he tried to salvage the moment and clarified it just a little bit.

Apparently only teachers can say that word academically. Who knew?

New layer of reality

2010-11-07T03:27:00.005-07:00

Tonight Jameson and I had another adventure with Lizzy. Our crib came in, so we went to the store to pick it up. They said they'd take it out front and to just drive up. So, 8pm at night, we put the top down and laid the crib box in our back seat and drove 35 mph home!

We put it together too! Jameson was a sweetheart and put it up tonight! It is one of his days off and he lets me be a silly nesting mommy. I helped put it together... just cause there are no pictures of it, doesn't mean I didnt help! After we put it up (and vacuumed away the styrofoam), we just stepped back and looked at it. Then Jameson danced with me :) It was a really tender moment, so sorry, I'm not going to elaborate on that.

It is so surreal to walk by and see it in there! I told Jameson how it just made this all seem so much more real. He got his funny grin on his face, put his hand on my belly and said, "And this doesn't!?" haha Yeah... I guess so...

I forgot the camera, so maybe, if Jameson feels up for it in the morning, while I'm sleeping off my extra long day light savings shift, Jameson will edit this post with a picture of our crib. Maybe.

...Holy cow... we're going to have a baby.

PDA

2010-11-02T21:34:00.002-06:00

When Jameson and I were dating/engaged many (if not all) of our blogs and facebook status updates were about each other, how in love we were, how great the other is, how we couldn't be happier, etc. And we got a lot of teasing for it. Really, I know it was cause y'all thought it was cute.

Then came a talk about how we should not only tell our spouses, children, God, etc how much we love them only over the pulpit. We need to show it and tell them privately.

Tonight, walking him home from class, Jameson and I were holding hands when a car drove by and a man yelled "Get a room!"

Now, I've been giving this a lot of thought lately because Jameson has been such a trouper. And because of my bragging nature, I want to post a little PDA.

Jameson, you are amazing!
You go to work 5 nights a week, giving up sleep, sanity and white eyes (now blood shot) to provide for me and your little girl.
You do homework for hours on end trying to learn the material that will support us the rest of our life!
You listen to me when I want to talk about essentially nothing and make me feel like I'm actually interesting.
You get up when I ask you if I could show you something and then gush over whatever it is I have cleaned or rearranged.
You put up with my incessant need to hold your hand in public.
You kiss me at the stoplight when I say "It's red!"
You know that when I say, "the baby is kicking", to put your hand on my tummy so you can be a part of it too.
You tuck me into bed after I work so that I can feel safe and loved.

But most of all, you love me more than I could have ever thought I deserved.

It is impossible to write about all the things I love about Jameson. And it is just as impossible to tell you all how much he does for me every single day. He is amazing.

Jameson, I love you :)

It can be Halloween every day

2010-10-30T14:41:00.003-06:00

So just to help you out on the day before Halloween, here are the scariest toys you can buy at Target:
The Joker went from Heath Ledger...to this? This thing freaks me out more than even Jack Nicholson's Joker face.
This is a dancing Mickey Mouse. It sings "shake your tail yeah yeah" to the tune of Shake Your Groove Thing and does the moonwalk and all sorts of stuff. They had it on an endcap in the main aisle. Kids loved it! There would be crowds gathered around yelling "Go Mickey! Go Mickey!" It got moved down a random aisle less than a week after they set it up on the main.

This is a Barbie doll of Edward. His skin is glittery. Enough said.
So I figured I would save the last one for a legitimately creepy toy, and look at this. Stare at it for a while. It creeps me out, but that may be because I hated Coraline with a passion.

Anyway, a real post is coming soon don't worry. I just don't have a lot of time and wanted to celebrate the season. Tonight we'll be celebrating the season watching Wait Until Dark! Whoo!

Speaking of celebrating seasons, not only am I currently putting together one Christmas playlist, but two! They'll be up in a couple weeks. I don't want to butt out Thanksgiving.

Fortune Cookie

2010-10-28T21:14:00.003-06:00

When my computer crashed... wait, it starts before then.

Jameson's and my "first date" well, the first date we went on where we were actually with each other and not another date, we went to P.F. Chang's and my fortune cookie said:

"A thrilling time is in your immediate future"

That was rather thrilling! I kept it safely on my desk so that if things worked out with us, I would have it. One day, it was gone. I dont know where it went. I searched my trash. I cleaned my room. I MOVED and it never surfaced again. Luckily, I immortalized it on Facebook back in February 2009 as my status. I also saved it on a post-it note on my computer.

One day, my computer crashed. It lost everything. Including my post-it note immortalizing my fortune. Tonight I sat on my computer and hit "Older Post" until I found it once again. Thus, why I am writing this blog. It needs to be on more than just a post-it. It needs to be on my blog, in my journal, framed, etc.

P.S.
Every time I go to P.F. Changs I hope for the same fortune. Even though it wouldn't be the original one, it would be close. We tried for it when we found out we were going to have a baby, but I guess it doesn't work when you are expect it.

I hope a thrilling time is in YOUR immediate futures!

Toasty

2010-10-24T13:20:00.004-06:00

We have radiant heat in our new apartment, with different thermostat dials in every room. Last night I figured I would test it out a little bit in our bedroom. It's freezing in there at night because we only use that room to sleep, so I guessed it would be good to warm it up a bit before I went to bed.

I figured out our thermostats. Apparently, turning the dial 1/8th of an inch will heat up the room by ten degrees. According to my calculations, that means our rooms can be heated to somewhere between 150 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

I wonder what the upstairs neighbors will think.

Target

2010-10-19T21:15:00.004-06:00

While working at Target, I've had my eyes open to several new things. For example, I never knew that you needed to label beans "vegetarian" until I saw several locations of vegetarian refried beans. Also, I've realized that pineapple jam sounds delicious. As does dark chocolate peanut butter and white chocolate cinnamon peanut butter. But there have been some discoveries that have not been, shall we say, impressive. For example:
Yeah. That's green pepper jelly. Now, I'll be the first to admit that green peppers are amazing. Especially in salads and on sub sandwiches. But...jelly? What would you do with that? A peanut butter green pepper sandwich sounds a little less than appetizing. Actually, a lot less than appetizing.
See this? No, honestly. Do you see this? This is kind of like green pepper jelly. But it's cayenne pepper. That's moving away from the realm of "food" and moving to the realm of "spices" which I also put under the category of "do not eat unless it is actually on food, because this is a garnish and not a meal. Seriously, it's not real food, it just adds flavor." It's a pretty specific category I guess. Anyway. It adds two amazing qualities: making a jelly out of something that you can't even survive for a day on and a little something I call spicy. Even if we took out the whole cayenne pepper deal, if someone asked me if I wanted my jam to have a kick I would say no.
Honestly.
And this? This is also a garnish, but I give it more leeway as I love minty things. One of the minty things that I would have a hard time accepting, however, is jelly. Especially because the brand at Target has leaves in it. Yes. Kind of like when you have the raspberry seeds in your jam, but it's foliage.

Just how momma used to make it.

By the way, one of my new jobs at target is to put on spider wraps:

And a little hint: these things are a lot harder to work than they look at first.

Battle of the Minds

2010-10-14T18:31:00.002-06:00

From the couch, where I sit, I can see the dishes.

The dishes can see me too.

I haven't done them in a while. But I am pretty sure there used to be a counter under them.

We are out of plates.

I enjoy a clean kitchen. But they are sitting in my clean kitchen unopposed.

Why?

Because they have brainwashed me into thinking they aren't there. Just, piles of CLEAN dishes...staring at me for no reason.

Dishes are sneaky.

25 weeks and counting

2010-10-11T08:19:00.004-06:00

This week we have hit the 3rd Trimester mark. Luckily, I am still pretty enamored with the idea of being pregnant. I hear/read that will change, but as of right now, I still love just sitting there feeling her move around and I get a kick out of my belly when I dont have to bend over or look at my toes.

I did realize however that we did not tell how we found out that we were going to be parents. The whole "hush hush" thing until reaching the, "week 12, miscarriage chances dropping to 2% thing".

I took pregnancy tests probably every other week and if they said negative, I usually thought they were wrong. I always felt like I was pregnant. I had been off birth control for a while because of migraines. But who am I kidding, even before going off it I thought I was pregnant daily.

After our emergency run to the ER we were left stressed and tired, so when I was late, I didnt think about it. I was late the month before and all it meant was a UTI. I was working and saying how something sounded super delicious. That is when it started. "YOU'RE PREGNANT!" The jokes didnt stop all night. Asking if I was late and what not. I work with a bunch of moms haha. The nurse told me they had pregnancy tests and I should take one right then. I didnt think I was, but IF I was, I could not find out without Jameson.

Ironic moment: One of my "other mothers" Mary Scannell had just commented on my facebook asking if my status meant that I was pregnant and I adamantly told her "no!".

I went home and fell asleep. Upon waking up I told Jameson about all the women at work making fun of me saying I was pregnant. He said I could take a test but I vehemently told him 'no' because I was sick of buying all the tests and wasting money, I was never getting positives! He shrugged it off.

MAYBE 10 minutes went by and I caved. I had to know. So, I grabbed my magic wand and went to the bathroom. Jameson came and stood in the door. I'm not a very shy person but I got stage fright and kicked him out. Suddenly I couldn't do it. I was so scared that I could not be! Jameson told me to relax, said it wasn't a big deal and to just do it. So, I tried again. (TMI moment) I couldn't make myself do it, so I grabbed a little cheap-o rice scooper cup we had and pee'ed in that so I wouldn't mess up... It has been thrown away.

I hadn't even pulled it out when a big ol' PLUS sign appeared. I called Jameson in and held it up. We were both kinda shocked. I was the first to state the obvious with a simple, "we're having a baby"! He, very manly said "You have to let it sit for 3 minutes." I laughed and said it wasn't like it was going anywhere. We waited and it didnt. I took another one. Same result.

That is when we panicingly called both sets of parents. No answer. We couldn't start telling siblings without parents knowing first, so we went to church. I made it through Sacrament... before running back outside to call parents again.

We tried all through church.

We tried through dinner.

We tried all day...

FINALLY! We got through!

Jameson's parents were ecstatic to find out they'd be becoming Grandparents while in India (excited about the baby, not so much that they'd miss her entrance to the world).

My parents were THRILLED to still be alive for when I started reproducing (something about them thinking they are old and making death jokes, SO NOT 'okay' by the way).

So there it is. It is long, but, seeing as no one comments on our blog anymore (equalling, no one reads it (thanks Ken for that translation that Jameson now quotes)) I figured I wanted it immortalized for future posterity, so I'd write it out.

Grow on little Ranck, we're excited for your debut!

Just wanted to say "hi"

2010-10-10T04:36:00.003-06:00

In line at Cafe Rio two men were behind us. One served a Spanish speaking mission. Know how we know this? He ordered in Spanish and called the server hermano. Very loud and public.

Jameson and I sat down at a table next to three girls and continued eating our meal. We saw the guy walk by us and suddenly we heard "HI! I was just walking by, I wanted to say 'hi'. What are your names?....Woah! Those are all really pretty. Where are you from?... Cool! I'm from California. What? You could tell? You thought I was from Provo cause of my style...? What were you talking about?... Gospel stuff? Cool! I just returned from my mission, a year ago...

Jameson and I were just in shock! I've heard of things like this, but I have never seen it. We were surpressing laughter and listening as best we could without being too obvious. Then, we heard the best line of the entire conversation.

"Can we get back to our meal now?" The guy fumbled so the girl asked "is that rude?". He said it was fine, but emphasized... again... that "I just wanted to say 'hi!'.

Points for trying? Umm... Congress is still in session.

Labels

2010-10-09T00:08:00.003-06:00

Becky left for work. I'm home alone. So I decided to do a project: I just put labels on all of our blog posts. This took a very long time. I was looking through the watch instantly netflix option and guess what? Mortal Kombat was on there. So I started the amazing B-rated 80's movie and started labeling blogs. Right this very minute Liu Kang just kicked Shang Tsung onto the spikes. Yup. It took the whole movie. Worth it, I guess...I did get to see it.

The Itsy Bitsy

2010-10-07T14:37:00.005-06:00

With new apartments come new surprises. We've had quite a few surprises these days. What are these surprises you ask? Let me give you a few clues:

They range from small to large

They are sneaky

They sometimes travel in packs

Here is the give away: They have 8 legs.

Spiders. They are all over. It is rather surprising how many we've found. Here are the top stories:

We were decorating our baby's room with glow in the dark stickers when Jameson asks me for a tissue. I ask why and if he saw a spider. He just said to get a tissue. So, I ran out and grabbed a tissue demanding to know what is up! He simply said "Lots of spiders". I look up and there are tons of baby translucent spiders crawling on the ceiling, dangling down on little webs. EEEEWWWWWW!

Jameson's personal favorite:

I was in the bathroom, he was sitting on the couch. Suddenly he hears me yell from the bathroom: OH MY GOODNESS! It is huge! ... Jameson!.... Come here! .... BRING A SHOE! IT IS COMING AT ME!

Now, to the untrained ear, you'll giggle at the first two sentences I got out. But from me, I was sitting in the bathroom I looked over at the door and a big brown spider is perched on the floor board! It starts to crawl down the door and at me! I needed to be safe. Jameson comes in looking around my feet for it... But it was still by the door. But trust me, it was a killer.

Those are the best two. But if you want more, there is a good Black Widow story about our neighbors and couch crawlers in our apartment. Etc Etc

Broken

2010-10-04T16:15:00.005-06:00

I have a broken mechanism. I dont know when it broke or if it was ever normal at all. But somewhere, somehow something is wrong. It wasn't a big thing. In fact, I dont know if I ever noticed it before I got married. But this weekend it became abundantly clear that something is not right.

We were playing our usual game of Pinochle with Drew and Bethany. They're usually pretty funny games anyway. Bidding big, losing horribly, cheating with hand signals. You get the picture.

It would take too long to explain, but needless to say, I messed up. I put cards down and we all realized Jameson and I had the wrong number of cards. I asked him for a card back, he gave it to me, but then he was short. Then I looked through what I put down and had one tucked under another card, but I didn't want to give that one back, so I had to pick another, etc. etc.

It wasn't enough for me to be embarrassed. I couldn't stop laughing! For the whole game I would randomly look up and burst into laughter. Everyone was laughing because I was so pathetically out of control! Drew choked on his drink, Jameson was lying on the floor, Bethany was laughing too! It was out of control. My body doesn't have the decency to hide after being embarrassed, it hangs a neon sign and puts up "opening night lights".

This has happened before with Drew and Bethany. We played a game "Last Word". The letter was "P" and something you plug into the wall. Know what I yelled out? Toaster. More people, no less laughter. Broken.

This proves 2 things in my book. 1. I have something inside that doesn't quite click when I'm embarrassed. 2. Jameson and I have found a couple we are genuinely comfortable with and enjoying being around (on the level that they accept I'm crazy and that Jameson is comfortable with them knowing that).

Take the time to watch the video where I first say "laughing"--gives you a clue as to how I was.

Piano

2010-09-30T21:57:00.008-06:00

This is a boy and a girl.

Notice, that is us.

Now, this boy and girl got a keyboard as a very early Christmas present (thank you!!). The boy set it up and it has been absolutely fantastic. This is the boy playing the keyboard.

It's an extremely nice keyboard! Lots of sounds and beats and it is awesome. Now, this boy has been playing this keyboard quite a bit over the last several weeks. As seen above. This would normally be a very good thing.

But it may have its dark side.

You see, the girl has been getting quite irritated with the boy playing piano. This may or may not be because the only songs he knows are this and this.

The boy doesn't see why this would be a problem, but I guess there's only so much Rugrats you can listen to over the course of a few weeks. The girl is currently investigating ways to either teach the boy how to play piano or break his fingers. The jury is still out on which will happen.

Anyway. Speaking of music (kind of), here's what I've been listening to lately.

Shiny Toy Guns - Turn To Real Life
Incubus - Echo
Taylor Swift - Best Day
Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
Straylight Run - Cover Your Eyes
Antsy Pants - Tree Hugger
Cary Brothers - Blue Eyes
Aqualung - Pressure Suit
Barenaked Ladies - Falling For The First Time
Bright Eyes - Easy/Lucky/Free
Foo Fighters - Everlong
Jet - Rollover DJ
The Beatles - Octopus's Garden
The Coral - Dreamin' Of You
Oasis - Live Forever

You know, just because.

Love you all!